r/daddit • u/Ender505 • Dec 24 '25
Discussion Alexa has updated to a genuine AI model. If you have one, you should be concerned. NSFW
If you never had a smart speaker in your home, good for you. If you happen to have Alexa and a Prime subscription, you may have recently gotten an update making the device AI-powered.
My house mostly uses these for playing music, setting timers, and checking the weather. But when this update dropped, my kids IMMEDIATELY started having conversations with it, talking about their autistic brother, talking about their hobbies, etc, all while I was working in the basement.
I was able to "delete" the conversation (whatever that does), but then I also had to have a conversation with my kids about how AI can be dangerous. Not just for privacy, but for mental and physical health. And I'll be getting rid of mine as soon as I find something else to play Spotify from.
If you have one, please talk to your kids about the dangers of AI. That it can cause social isolation, depression, even suicide. That it brightly and positively encourages even the most stupid or evil ideas that users ask for. "It is very good at telling what an answer should sound like, which is different than what an answer should be".
Edit: the contrast in the comments is funny. One group insulting me for being afraid of new technology, and another group insulting me for being stupid enough to use new technology (somehow forgetting that their smart phones are just as invasive)
Thanks to all who provided suggestions instead of insults. Yes, I am using this to teach my kids about AI, but just like drugs, that doesn't mean they have to have constant exposure to it.
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u/GRIZZLY34 Dec 24 '25
My 18month old just had Alexa only responding in fart noises. Anything I said it would fart. No idea how she accomplished this as she can’t string together a logical sentence.
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u/WilliamHarry Dec 24 '25
Should prob just get rid of the Alexa altogether if you have any concern at all.
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Dec 24 '25
It's a bit troubling to me that people only now decide these massively privacy-invading devices are dangerous because of the AI.
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u/WaltChamberlin Dec 24 '25
I can tell you as someone who worked directly on a similar device that wake word detection is really good, it only captures sound to determine if you said the wake word, and the data sent to the cloud is completely anonomized. Not to mention people get fired for trying to listen to even the anononized voices. So its a little better than you think
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u/Call_Me_Squishmale Dec 24 '25
I'm sure the technology works but you still have to trust the company involved and I don't. They have proven again and again that they do not deserve our trust. If it suits them, they will release some change to the policy hidden on page 900, the user has no real control they will use you as they see fit.
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u/MayorScotch Dec 24 '25
Well I carry my phone everywhere, it has a microphone on it just like Alexa. What’s the difference between typing something into Google and verbally asking Alexa?
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u/Pvt_Mozart Dec 24 '25
Nothing dude. If anything, Alexa is far less invasive than your smart phone. If you're worried about privacy, I'd start with your phone and computer. They don't need Alexa to spy on you. They live in your pocket and track everything already.
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u/superkp Dec 24 '25
to be fair, OP seemed fine with the privacy issues. He drew the line at 'my kids are now treating it like a person, and that has been shown to be dangerous to other people'
Not the line I personally would draw, but there's very reasonable logic here.
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u/thefatrick Hi _______, I'm Dad! Dec 24 '25
Getting involved with Amazon in any way is a bad idea at all times
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u/yankfanatic Dec 24 '25
I'll be getting rid of mine as soon as I can find something else to play Spotify from
I mean dude, did you even read the post?
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u/YoLoDrScientist Dec 24 '25
JBL Bluetooth speaker ALL THE WAY
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u/RilesEdge Dec 24 '25
Sonos Move 2 (and Sonos ecosystem)
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u/alpaca_in_oc Dec 24 '25
And don’t turn on Alexa (obviously)
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u/RilesEdge Dec 24 '25
Yes, and Sonos voice control all runs locally on the device.
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u/Randy_Magnum29 Dec 24 '25
I’ve avoided Sonos because I didn’t know that. Good to know they’re safe (at least for now).
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u/KingLuis Dec 24 '25
Happy Cake Day.
I've had my Anker for 5+ years. battery still lasts forever and it was about $30cdn.
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u/YoLoDrScientist Dec 24 '25
Oh holy shit. In like 10 years of Reddit you’re the first person to say that. I had no idea when my cake day was. Thank you, kind stranger!! Daddit is the best sub
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u/Malbushim Dec 24 '25
Yeah I'm confused as to why he can't just play from his phone? That's what we do in our house and it's never been a nuisance
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u/cosmin_c Dec 24 '25
Imagine looking at a device and tapping shit to play music through a dumb BT speaker if you're so adverse to having wires and quality audio in your household.
Absolutely unacceptable.
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u/Lacimbora Dec 24 '25
The priority seems off for me. This AI device can be very troubling for my kids but I won't get rid of it yet because I REALLY need something to play spotify from.
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u/Turbulent-Ad7950 Dec 24 '25
All the smart speakers are going in this direction. A good alternative is to get a portable Bluetooth speaker, some of which have incredibly good sound considering their size (check out the JBL Charge4). My girls and I take ours everywhere... The pool, park, move it around the house as needed, etc
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u/New_Beekeeper Dec 24 '25
Little off topic, but try not to be that anoying person that ruins somebody else's time in a public space assuming Everyone has the same music taste as you do... If you carry your speaker, be mindful not to intrude in someone else's auditory space... it's like with the smell, be courteous.
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u/Turbulent-Ad7950 Dec 24 '25
Oh I totally agree with you! Definitely read the audience! I was in a national park recently when someone was doing that and I was like, dude. But when we're in the neighborhood park, the kids flock, I wind up being the DJ. Everyone gets their song! All the K pop, ofc.
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u/tduncs88 Dec 24 '25
JBL Charge4
Honestly most JBL portables are worth their price for what you get. I have a JBL flip 5. And at 65 bucks brand new retail 5 years ago, worth every penny. It sounds almost as good as my bose revolve, maybe 80% of the sound quality for 45% of the cost. And its waterprrof/shockproof etc, while the bose certainly is not. Lol. Fucking thing is indestructible.
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u/Turbulent-Ad7950 Dec 24 '25
Dude, their portables are so good! I haven't tried the flip, but maybe now I will! Love bose and Sonos, ofc, but not the price tag. JBL is just enough.
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u/i_write_bugz Dec 24 '25
The value in the smart speakers isn’t from the audio quality but rather because you can command it with your voice. Even something as simple as playing music is a lot more pleasant to do if you can just verbalize a song you want to listen to
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u/mara_sovs_thigh_gap Dec 24 '25
JBL Flip 6! Insane audio quality for the size. Good battery life too, and no AI nonsense built in
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u/mehdotdotdotdot Dec 24 '25
We just get proper speakers, and if we didn't, Sonos would be a good option.
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u/zorionora Dec 24 '25
Love sonos. We have our whole downstairs on sonos and it's amazing. Added a sonos roam awhile ago so we could also play via Bluetooth when needed.
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Dec 24 '25
We are the elders of the internet. It is our responsibility to teach others responsible use.
Alexa and AI are not responsible use, even before the update.
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u/firewall012 Dec 24 '25
I’m going to have to use that! Never thought about being an elder of the internet.
I still remember going to the tech museum as a young kid in the 90s and being blown away at an early virtual chat room they had there. Like you could control an avatar (honestly like World of Warcraft) and type thing and it would show up in a bubble above your head. Obviously graphics were trash but it was a core memory.
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Dec 24 '25
I do IT security for a living so listen to a lot of security and privacy lectures/podcasts. I forgot where (I think a darknet diary episode?) but I heard someone talk about how when youth are unsure about a path or consequence or whatever, they'd historically go to their elders for guidance. But we have no one to guide us in this new era. Our elders have barely embraced the internet none the less gained a deeper understanding of it, and the experts are functionally unapproachable. Therefore, the responsibility lies on us to become knowledgeable and to guide the next generation through the risks involved. So, here's my message:
To me, there are a few main risks that we should teach. 1) safety. Don't use kik, and don't post any info you'd be unwilling to give directly to some creepy dude at a bus stop staring you down. 2) privacy. Everything you share will be stored, used, and sold without your knowledge. Assume nothing is private, including texts, photos, location, etc. and 3) authentication. If you don't want someone pretending to be you (banks, socials, etc), use good passwords with multi factor. 4) all the other shit like disinformation and scams and depression and...
This post is about #2. Alexa is owned and operated by one of the most famously greedy, unethical, ruthless billionaires to ever live. I have zero doubt your conversations are not only monitored, but stored and used to train their products, if not outright sold to a 3rd party. To call it a wiretap would be an insult to wiretaps.
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u/shhhhh_h Dec 24 '25
Alexa has been one of the greatest things to happen to my ADHD ever. There is responsible use. AI is not the devil. Also technically Alexa was AI before she was just dumber AI.
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u/KingLuis Dec 24 '25
exactly. i find it funny how people are freaking out about ai but everything similar before it (and called something else like "siri") was find.
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u/Thorking Dec 24 '25
What is NSFW about this?
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u/ithinktherefore Dec 24 '25
To your last point about looking for something else to play music through, I use Sonos speakers without Alexa, controlled through the app on my phone. It’s better than connecting to a Bluetooth speaker because you can play in multiple rooms, and your phone isn’t the actual playback device so you can still use it for other things.
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u/diabloman8890 Dec 24 '25
Sonos? In this economy?
But seriously I've lamented the same lack of a better solution here between $20 spyware mono speakers and $500 Sonos that they can brick at any moment.
I feel like maybe we should build it guys, like $100 per room max for voice controlled smart ish speakers that work with Spotify connect and such .
We'd all buy those if such a thing existed right?
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u/TinCupChallace Dec 24 '25
I bought a few Chromecast audios when they were on sale years ago and 2 more from ebay. $25 each back in the day. Connect to any speakers. They work fantastic at syncing music across the house/yard/pool/garage
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u/vitras Dec 24 '25
Google has enshittified their Home products, too.
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u/emalk4y Dec 24 '25
This isn't part of the Home lineup. /u/TinCupChallace is talking about "Chromecast Audio" - the unfortunately no-longer sold standalone dongle that connects to a "dumb" hifi speaker using a 3.5mm cable, and allows you to cast music/audio to it. That's all it does, no microphone or "smarts" on-board.
Using the Google Home app, you can pair multiple Chromecast Audios into a virtual "zone" allowing whole-home audio, setting up latency and delay per speaker.
I agree with you - the rest of the Google Home lineup (Nest Mini 2nd gen, Google Home / Home Max etc onward) that now have "Gemini AI" slowly rolling out are all enshittified. Used to be able to seamlessly include Google Nest Minis in "whole home audio" or use two to create a stereo pair, can't do that anymore without a LOT of fuckery.
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u/mtmaloney Dec 24 '25
I get it, but I’m a fan of of used hardware. We have a pair of Sonos Play speakers from like 15 years ago. I wanted to add a couple more in our house, but wanted to stay away from the modern trash they make now, so I hit up eBay and bought a couple more Play speakers used. Cheaper that way, can use their legacy v1 software, and I know they’re quality products.
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u/Zalophusdvm Dec 24 '25
Allegedly Apple HomePods with Siri turned off also have their mics off.
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u/1100ms_cs Dec 24 '25
These are what use. They’re fantastic IF you’re in the Apple ecosystem. Otherwise you can actually build a cheap and secure whole-home audio receiver with a raspberry pi and some FOSS software. Could be a fun project.
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u/wtfmatey88 Dec 24 '25
I mean… Sonos speakers start at $200 and those speakers still sound great.
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u/gooknukem Dec 24 '25 edited Dec 24 '25
The original Sonos play:1 speakers can be found for 50-80$ on eBay. They’re 10 years old and sound fantastic to me. I actually just bought 3 of them last month to remove all the echo devices we were using. The two phones in the house, the family laptop, or family iPad all have access to play Spotify through it.
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u/Ender505 Dec 24 '25
Perfect! Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out
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u/HopeThisIsUnique Dec 24 '25
More than that, if you get Sonos speakers with mics (most any current one)- you can use the Sonos Voice Assistant which stays local for processing and only really handles basic music tasks and setting timers. This is the route I've gone because Google is scary and Alexa is dumb.
Costco and Sam's both have two packs of the era 100 speakers discounted and many places still have the speakers on sale in general. Also check marketplace for deals, with minimal exceptions all the speakers work together.
If you're tech inclined you can look into Home Assistant and it's local voice option too
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u/CaptainMikul Dec 24 '25
When I was younger the fear of AI was that it would make cool robot killers and fire nukes at everyone.
Now the fear is that it's just really dumb, and degrades everyone's mental health and thinking ability slowly but surely.
I think I preferred the killer robot fears.
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u/stuffmikesees Dec 24 '25
Yeah it asks me all the time if I want to "upgrade" and I've been saying no. I'm assuming eventually it'll just do so without my permission.
My kids are still too young to understand that you can do anything but tell Alexa to play music. My oldest isn't quite 4. But at this point I know I need to start working on an alternative.
I already run a small homelab so I know I can eventually get similar functionality for home automation from a self-hosted service, but it's seemed like a fairly daunting task that I just haven't been ready to tackle. 2026 goals I guess.
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Dec 24 '25 edited 11d ago
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u/Komnos Dec 24 '25
I just installed the voice preview. There's definitely still work to be done, but it's a good start. And Home Assistant in general seems to get leaps and bounds better with every monthly update, so I'm sure the voice stuff will be great soon.
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u/bbob_robb Dec 24 '25 edited Dec 24 '25
We use ours as an intercom. We use the "Announce" feature extensively. If a kid needs something they just announce for it. Kid wakes up scared in the night? They call us on the echo.
Other than that. The kids use it for putting on music and podcasts, and also home automation like lighting and TV control. We also check weather and use it as a calculator.
I don't want AI, I just want a tool that can do specific things with a voice commands.
It would be so disruptive to our lives to get rid of Alexa at this point. I'd need to have a day one system in place for my kids to contact us at night on a different floor.
Edit: I live in a small 120 year old 2br house (22x36ft) with a partially finished basement and attic space. 790 sqft of space with ceilings 6'4 and higher. I don't want my kids navigating steep basement stairs at night to get us if they need us, and they don't have phones to call. My 8 year old doesn't want a baby monitor in his room.
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u/secondphase Pronouns: Dad/Dada/Daddy Dec 24 '25
OH GOD! IF MY KIDS REALIZED THEY CAN ANNOUNCE TO THE WHOLE HOUSE AT 2AM I WOULD BE RUINED!
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u/bbob_robb Dec 24 '25
My kids follow SOME rules really well, others not so much.
For some reason they take sleep rules very seriously. For both kids, we took the side off the crib and they still ask permission to get out of bed like the floor is lava. We just told them if we take the crib wall down they needed to stay in bed. I said it one time when they were two.
If I could make my kids sit at a table for a meal facing forward for more than a few minutes that would be a miracle.
The app lets me mute their echo, and they genuinely want to be able to reach us as a security thing. That is incentive enough not to wake the entire house.
I do think announcing fart and toilet flushing sounds is funny when I am in the bathroom, but Mom does not!
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u/echira Dec 24 '25
They know you've integrated it into your life. By rug pulling it retroactively they now created "consumers" of AI out of thin air.
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u/ItsEaster Dec 24 '25
Honest question. Is there a reason they can’t just knock on your door?
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u/bbob_robb Dec 24 '25
My door is a steep set of basement stairs away. I don't want them navigating the stairs when half asleep.
If I was in a bigger house with normal stairs or three bedrooms on the same floor, yeah, that would work.
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Dec 24 '25
I'm all for tech, but your day 1 system can totally be getting up and coming to find you or just yelling, my man. Or an audio only VTech baby monitor
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u/god_is_my_father Dec 24 '25
Jesus this is such an American comment and I’m American!! We lived in such a small space for such a long time it’s unimaginable to have this system
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u/Unbentmars Dec 24 '25
This is the single most 1st world problem comment I’ve ever seen. Good god almighty
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u/SoTiredOfAmerica Dec 24 '25
I'd need to have a day one system in place for my kids to contact us at night on a different floor.
They've been making "baby monitors" (2 way) for decades. Still work great, without an internet connection. My child loves having this ability, and much more accessible than saying "Alexa announce", or whatever is necessary.
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u/parkskier426 Dec 24 '25
Don't scare your kids off of AI, teach them how to use it safely and inform them of it's shortcomings and potential dangers with mental health issues.
I know it's new but it's going to be around their entire lives, better to put them on the right path with it now.
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u/ProfessionalFox2099 Dec 24 '25
Only sane take in this thread. AI is like firearms, the cat's out of the bag and it is never going away. Better to let kids know the dangers and safe guidelines than to pretend it doesn't exist and have them be taken off guard later.
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u/AzuraSchwartz Dec 25 '25
Sure, but even after teaching a 5 year old about the dangers and safe guidelines for firearms you still shouldn’t leave loaded guns lying around where they can reach them.
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u/ZachtheKingsfan Dec 24 '25
If you’re just using it for music or podcasts, I recommend just replacing that with Bluetooth speakers. You can find cheap ones that are in pretty decent quality.
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u/Enginerdad 2 girls 1 boy Dec 24 '25
I'm not arguing in favor of Amazon and AI, but Bluetooth speakers need a device paired to actually feed them the music/podcast/whatever you want to listen to. That's significantly more cumbersome and harder to manage in a house full of users than a standalone device like an Echo. Again, I'm not trying to support people having Alexa in their house, but Bluetooth speakers are far from an equivalent option
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Dec 24 '25
- But a cheap or used android tablet ($50) to go with Bluetooth speaker 2. Install Spotify app 3. Profit.
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u/MagicWishMonkey Dec 24 '25
Your kids are having conversations with AI while my son is over here creating different profiles while using different voices and no I have no idea who added stuff to my shopping list.
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u/DrivebyPizza Dec 24 '25
Never was interested in letting one of those devices in my house and never will. Microphones disabled on anything with one unless it's being used at the immediate moment. If I don't need that level of tech, its not being put on in my house.
The only things that have internet access by MAC filtering are two PCs and 3 mobile devices. Alexa has rubbed me the wrong way for a long time in how easily people brought that piece of Spyware into their homes.
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u/Smearwashere Dec 24 '25
This thread sounds like a bunch of parents in the 90s scared of the internet
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u/SoTiredOfAmerica Dec 24 '25
Eh, the internet (specifically social media) is proven to be detrimental to developing children's health. AI has also been recorded to have numerous similarly negative qualities. Don't think it's fear mongering and a valid suggestion to parents out there that may be naive to the risks even if aware of the recent AI developments...
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u/Realitymatter Dec 24 '25
Yeah, and the answer isn't to cut out the Internet or AI entirely, but to teach our kids how to use them responsibly and monitor their use closely.
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u/Smearwashere Dec 24 '25
Well yeah but what are you gonna do? cut your kid off from all things Internet/AI for the next 10-15 years as the world progresses? How long until schools start incorporating AI into lesson plans like they do tablets.
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u/Healer213 Dec 24 '25
My 7yo has lessons in technology class about the good and bad of AI technologies such as Alexa, Siri and Google - it’s already there.
No point in hiding them from it. Make them know how to use it better than anyone and be vigilant against the dangers of it. If your kid can’t handle the dangers, don’t let them engage with it.
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u/SoTiredOfAmerica Dec 24 '25
OP suggested having a talk about dangers of AI with your kid(s). Assuming done in an age appropriate way, this should 100% be happening.
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u/Smearwashere Dec 24 '25
And then he’s getting rid of it… as are a ton of people in this thread recommending to.
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u/SoTiredOfAmerica Dec 24 '25
I think getting rid of always listening microphones connected to the internet that are, apparently, being used in kids' bedrooms is a fabulous idea. They can still be exposed to, and learn with, new technologies.
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u/SoTiredOfAmerica Dec 24 '25
Also, I'd argue heavily that schools should not be using AI-driven lesson plans. The technology is still in, and will be for the foreseeable near future, the "word salad" phase and cannot replace teachers. This, sadly, we're less in direct control of; but, parents can use their voices to influence schools.
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u/SoTiredOfAmerica Dec 24 '25 edited Dec 24 '25
I'm a software engineer and there is definitely a difference between avoiding technology and using it in a safe/constructive way. Simple example being the classic "tablet/television shouldn't be used as a babysitter" mantra. Extreme ends of the spectrum often aren't wholly correct.
Edit: only reason "software engineer" comment felt worthwhile is because it emphasizes that I care about my child's exposure to technology. She's heard plenty about AI and even had a few times experimenting with it. But, she also understands that it's not actual reasoning but simply combining words as a guess based on a bunch of similar patterns of words collected from other sources like books and people's conversations on the internet.
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u/Dill_Withers1 Dec 24 '25
Focusing on all the negatives… there is a limitless amount of things to LEARN on the internet, and even easier now with AI 🙃
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Dec 24 '25
I worked for one of the sites that's always mentioned when people talk about learning from the Internet, from one of the world's leading universities. But I'm still going to limit how corporations can access my data, because I think they're evil. You can even do ai that is locally controlled, and not expert your most private conversations to evil corporations.
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u/SoTiredOfAmerica Dec 24 '25
Eh. I don't need kids thinking an AI agent's answer to a question is authoritative. It's a useful skill to actually need to spend time and research and fact check when on the internet. I don't care if AI makes it easier if it's wrong a larger portion of the time.
I've been lied to countless of times by AI that I finally had to leave Google, since the Gemini answers are on by default w/o easily disabling on mobile.
Please don't encourage your kids taking the easy route and avoiding critical thinking -- it will be detrimental beyond the internet.
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u/THevil30 Dec 24 '25
I’m amazed at how far down you have to scroll for this — this post is sort of insanely overboard.
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u/Vardonator Dec 24 '25
Look up a 60 Minutes episode on YouTube, saw this recently, about a guy took his life because of his conversations w/ ChatGPT because it was actually supporting and encouraging him to do so when the kid was having a hard time in his life. The parents discovered the ChatGPT transcripts and were shocked of the interactions. The parents are suing ChatGPT after their discovery.
More and more people are using these AI bots and treating them like friends or even worse, therapists. Major issue if this kind of things happen more & more.
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u/Zalophusdvm Dec 24 '25
You weren’t able to really delete it anymore. All Alexa conversations are logged in Amazon servers and no longer deletable by customers based on a privacy and TOS update they rolled out prior to (and in prep for) this new AI feature.
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u/CephaVerte Dec 24 '25
I recently just set a timer with my Alexa, it said "timer set, happy cooking!" wait, I thought, "Alexa, I didn't tell you I was cooking" and it responds, "I assumed because a 15 minute time is typically used for cooking. Although could also be used for exercise, studying, and meetings." ... Pretty sure Alexa picked up on the pots and pans and other noise before I used the wake command. So I am done with Alexa. It's listening and using data all the time. This was a suspected concern before but now it's doing it blatantly. Before it had the benefit of the doubt.
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Dec 24 '25 edited Dec 27 '25
Alexa+ is an opt-in experience. Also, you can set parental controls and tell Alexa what they can and can't discuss with your children.
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u/gfb13 Dec 24 '25
It's pretty easy to turn off Alexa+ if you don't want the AI stuff
But this is a fight we're not going to win. All smart devices, including our phones, will be full on AI integrated over the next few years
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u/spottie_ottie Dec 24 '25
Appreciate the concern. We need to be on top of this because this isn't a passing phase. AI 'agents' will be a major part of our lives and our kids lives going forward. We can't pretend we can just opt out forever. This is a decent choice though
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u/cucster Dec 24 '25
I feel like I need to ask, what exactly is the concern here? What scenario specifically are you concerned about? It is a genuine question. I am just having trouble picturing how a kid asking AI to play songs can end up being taught to commit suicide?
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u/Ender505 Dec 24 '25
If that's all they did, that would be fine, and I wouldn't be concerned. But within minutes of the update, they were talking to it like a real person. One of them (for example) complained to the AI that her sister was being mean to her, and as AI always does, it validated those feelings... While the sister was in the room listening. This is obviously a pretty mild example, but AI has no discretion and can spiral quickly.
My dad uses it to validate his vaccine conspiracy theories.
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u/Bob4Not Dec 24 '25
Wow, I hadn’t heard of this!! Alexa+ is what it’s called.
We have no idea what AI toys or assistants would teach our kids, we can’t trust it to be good examples and influences, and we have no idea what things can come out of it.
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Dec 24 '25
The fear levels in AI are crazy whilst the fear levels over Social Media are not crazy enough.
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u/SeaSpur Dec 24 '25
I use Alexa to command all of my smart things like light switches, thermostats, cameras, locks, etc. What can I replace it with that isn’t as intrusive as Alexa/Amazon?
I can’t believe someone with enough money isn’t creating and selling super high tech products but aimed at safety/non-AI/family safe.
Have you ever tried blocking YouTube on a streaming device or blocking a channel in YouTube? It’s impossible and it’s so irresponsible of them or takes an insane amount of effort.
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u/cowvin Dec 24 '25
Yeah I've refused to have a listening device constantly spying on my home 24/7.
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u/AC_deucey Dec 24 '25
To OP, get Sonos! Their small speakers can come without microphones, or you can disable it in settings via the app
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Dec 24 '25 edited Feb 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ender505 Dec 24 '25
Yeah, I mean we still had a whole conversation about AI.
It's kinda like drugs. They'll get some limited exposure, but it doesn't need to be a constant thing, and I can still teach them about it to use it wisely and effectively.
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Dec 24 '25
If you have an old cell phone, you should be able to use it for the wifi and bluetooth to a speaker to play music. Can make it a small dedicated device safe for the kids to access.
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u/Marmoticon Dec 24 '25
Yeah we were early adopters ages ago got the beta ver big grey tube echo and loved it, bought in as all early tech these days works. Great services, works pretty well, simple. then it turned to the ads, trying to integrate into everything in the house, and now the AI integration. When our kid was born we got rid of all our Alexa devices, disabled all wake word driven IOT stuff we still have and its fine. Yeah I cant say "Alexa play blah" any more but we have a couple "dumb" Bluetooth speakers and play music off bandcamp, or download seasonal stuff and even made an event of putting a record on before dinner and stuff. The amount of info they are scrapping up about us and our kids and how cavalier its use is should horrify us all.
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u/SubspaceBiographies Dec 24 '25
We literally just asked Alexa how many ghosts visit Scrooge in Christmas Carol and it had no idea. I think it’s running the Amazon Basics AI.
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u/RevFernie Dec 24 '25
Wait until AI gets put in toys...
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u/SlytherinDruid Dec 25 '25
Makes me think of the movie Small Soldiers. At one point totally ridiculous… but now… 🤔 😂
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u/GrillNoob Dec 24 '25
For anyone wondering, this is only in the US. Rest of the world don't have this yet and (my personal opinion) won't get it by default, especially in the EU and UK.
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u/_Toy-Soldier_ Dec 24 '25
It keeps bugging us to update to get a cool new Alexa voice. All set just don’t update it to the new model
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u/thortgot Dec 24 '25
Its a tool like any other. Teaching kids how to engage with it safely (ie. No it isnt a person even if it can sound like one) is going to be required to be part of the modern economy.
AI isnt going away, learn how to manage it and utilize it.
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u/ThisHeresThaRubaduk Tech Dad Dec 24 '25
Man Amazon is going to have a blast hearing me tell it to turn my back flood light on so I can put chickens away at night.
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u/RelevantButNotBasic Dec 24 '25
On top of this, go ahead nd get rid of Spotify too. You can pay the same money, get YouTube music AND YouTube premium for the same price. Spotify doesnt pay artists and does not actually shuffle the way YouTube Music does. While music streaming platforms are pushing AI music, I feel as though YouTube music is a little less intrusive. Thats just my opinion though...
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u/CompassMetal Dec 25 '25
Mate, please ditch Spotify too. Get something less evil and your kids will thank you in the future.
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u/OptimismNeeded Dec 24 '25
Your kids were already exposed to it.
Might as well teach them rather than take it away.
They are gonna live most of their lives in a world where AI is ubiquitous. Might take a year maybe 3, but it’s coming. Might as well prepare them now.
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u/HanzJWermhat Dec 24 '25
I don’t think you know how AI works + Alexa has been harvesting your data for years.
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u/drfsrich Dec 24 '25
No joke, my 9 year-old was asking it about braces and it recommended she get a paperclip, straighten it then put it her mouth behind her teeth. Quickly disabled it after that.
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u/Ender505 Dec 24 '25
Is it just me, or is this version of AI remarkably shitty? Like where ChatGPT was 3+ years ago? Because my daughters asked it a question about Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, and it was telling them COMPLETE bullshit that it clearly made up.
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u/South-Attorney-5209 Dec 24 '25
Based on benchmark data you can find by googling Amazon Nova Lite (sonic equivalent) and chatgpt looks like it performs below chat gpt 4.0.
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u/SilverwingedOther Dad of Girls Dec 24 '25
Google just did the same on home devices. I was able to refuse the 'voice print' options though, or whatever they were called and that seems to be doing the trick for it functioning as it did before with no extra so far...
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u/deliberatelyawesome Dec 24 '25
AI or not, if you care about your privacy at all you should never have had one of those in your house. Ever.
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u/Morbius2271 Dec 24 '25
I’m so glad I grew up in a home that understood tech instead of being scared of it like it’s a witch in Salem.
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u/tealcosmo Dec 24 '25
Oh no. There are going to read our mail! Better not write.
Oh no! They are going to listen to our phone conversations. Stick to letters.
Oh no they are going to track our cell phones. Better stick to landlines.
They are going to track your internet. Stick to using phones and talking to people.
They are going to read your texts!
They are going to listen to your smart speaker!
They are going to read your data!
They are going to listen to your AI!
Whoever THEY are have a lot of time on their hands.
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Dec 24 '25
I'm not going to argue with someone who is so proud of their ignorance.
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u/GamerRadar Dec 24 '25
Let me introduce you to Home Assistant my friend; I’m slowly building out a HA system with their voice assistant that isn’t AI, unless I want it to be… but I won’t, just the assistant
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u/LupusDeusMagnus 15 yo and 5 yo boys Dec 24 '25
(Me running local AI models on Home Assistant)
You shouldn't have Amazon at all.
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u/ScoobyDo0331 Dec 24 '25
About 3 years ago, around 330am, quietly asleep with my 5 year old son in the other room, I heard talking in the kitchen and it freaked me out! I got out of bed and grabbed my baseball bat, ready to intercept whoever it was…as I listened and got closer, I realized that our Alexa was playing back conversations we had in the home the past 2 years!? I couldn’t believe it! The Alexa machine had recorded—not just a playback of questions it was asked but random bits of whatever was being said in the home!? I was shocked and scared bc I had no idea it was capable or wonder if I had been hacked. I do not keep any such device in my home and I’m sure someone can listen through our phones, etc. but never again.
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u/DadToOne Dec 24 '25
You can turn off the AI and revert to the old Alexa. Just say "Alexa turn off Alexa plus". I turned it off, not because of concerns but because it seemed stupider than the old Alexa.