Alexa goes Dotty...and your TV ’s to blame

An Amazon Echo

Scientists have compiled a list of more than 1,000 phrases from TV which can activate smart speakers.

Voice assistant devices such as the Amazon Echo Dot are only supposed to respond when people call theirname.

But academics have found that many react to terms on television after mistaking them for their owner’s voice.

Amazon’s Alexa is activated by the word “unacceptable”, and Google Assistant can mistake “OK, cool” for “OK, Google.” Meanwhile Apple’s assistant should react to “Hey, Siri” but also springs to life if it hears “Hey, Jerry” or “a city.”

Researchers from Ruhr-universität Bochum (Rub)andthemaxplanck Institute in Germany compiled the list of words and phrases by playing shows such as Game of Thrones, Modern Family and House of Cards to a range of voice assistants. They then noted the terms which triggered a response from the smartspeakers. Professor Dorotheakolossaatthe RUB, who led the study, said: “The devices are intentionally programmed in a somewhat forgiving manner, because they are supposed to be able to understand their humans.

“Therefore, they are more likely to start up once too often rather than not at all.”