Amazon says it has resolved an issue that led to Alexa recommending a dangerous challenge to a 10-year-old girl.
What You Need To Know
- A mother tweeted Sunday that her 10-year-old daughter asked Alexa for a challenge to try, and the virtual assistant suggested she touch a penny to a phone charger plugged halfway into a wall outlet
- In a statement to media outlets, Amazon said it acted promptly to address the problem as soon as it became aware of it
- The penny challenge apparently started on TikTok in early 2020, prompting experts to issue warnings that it could result in electrocution, fires or other damage
- Kristin Livdahl says she was in the room when Alexa made the suggestions and that her daughter never attempted the challenge
Kristin Livdahl tweeted Sunday that her daughter asked Alexa for a challenge to try. The voice-controlled virtual assistant’s suggestion was alarming.
“Here’s something I found on the web,” Alexa responded. “According to ourcommunitynow.com: The challenge is simple: plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs.”
“I was actually right there in the room with her, and I kind of was so freaked out. I'm like, ‘No Alexa, no!’” Livdahl told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Wednesday.
The penny challenge apparently started on TikTok in early 2020, prompting experts to issue warnings that it could result in electrocution, fires or other damage.
Livdahl said her daughter never attempted the challenge.
“[W]e had another good conversation about not trusting anything from the internet or Alexa,” the mom said in another tweet.
In a statement to media outlets, Amazon said it acted promptly to address the problem.
"Customer trust is at the center of everything we do and Alexa is designed to provide accurate, relevant, and helpful information to customers," an Amazon spokesperson said.
"As soon as we became aware of this error, we quickly fixed it, and will continue to advance our systems to help prevent similar responses in the future.”