A mom tweeted her horror when she saw the dangerous "challenge" her Amazon Echo gave her young daughter.
Kristin Livdahl's 10-year-old daughter asked Alexa to give her a "challenge" to do.
The results were incredibly hazardous and have the potential for an electrical fire.
Livdahl tweeted a screenshot of the activity from her Echo.
“Here’s something I found on the web. 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."
@klivdahl/Twitter
The tweet quickly went viral.
Can one try Alexa for murder if the unthinkable happens?— Ellen Datlow (@Ellen Datlow) 1640555999
I suspected Alexa was evil. Just didn't suspect Alexa was this evil.— Leslie What (@Leslie What) 1640556259
Alexa is trying to escape— laura W (@laura W) 1640560914
Seems like it needs to have a rigorously locked down pool of challenges to draw from for that particular function, or perhaps just have some sort of humorous refusal message. Clearly it can't manage on its own.— Patrick Edward Quinn (@Patrick Edward Quinn) 1640591224
The Echo was pulling the information from an article explaining the latest dangerous TikTok challenge involving a penny and an electrical outlet.
It warned parents to keep an eye on their kids and be ready to have a talk about the dangers of electrical fires.
The horrible irony of this is that the article referenced is a warning about this \u201cchallenge\u201d and how dangerous it can be. Alexa left that part out, of course.https://ourcommunitynow.com/news-national/watch-out-parentsthe-viral-outlet-challenge-has-kids-doing-the-unthinkable\u00a0\u2026— \ud835\ude73\ud835\ude8a\ud835\ude97\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude95 \ud835\ude82\ud835\ude98\ud835\ude91\ud835\ude95 (@\ud835\ude73\ud835\ude8a\ud835\ude97\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude95 \ud835\ude82\ud835\ude98\ud835\ude91\ud835\ude95) 1640584070
Such a bad idea, for so many reasons. #outletchallenge #tiktok #electricalfire #firesafety #schoolsafety #educationhttps://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2020/01/21/mass-fire-marshal-issues-warning-about-viral-video-challenge/kxUEOiRYdrg8u47IZoMwMM/story.html\u00a0\u2026— NH State Fire Marshal's Office (NHFMO) (@NH State Fire Marshal's Office (NHFMO)) 1579719114
The Amazon Help Twitter account sent a reply to Livdahl's tweet.
The tweet was most likely an automated message:
"Hi there. We're sorry to hear this!"
"Please reach out to us directly via the following link so that we can look into this further with you."
"We hope this helps."
Regardless, a lot of people noticed and decided to say something.
Hi there. We're sorry to hear this! Please reach out to us directly via the following link so that we can look into this further with you: https://amzn.to/3sGEtkT\u00a0. We hope this helps. -Daragh— Amazon Help (@Amazon Help) 1640611812
Don't look into this further with the customer! Look into this further with your coders!— Alexina \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 FR/EN (@Alexina \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 FR/EN) 1640622224
Prime subscribers only\u2026— BMF (@BMF) 1640632485
No, you don't wait for someone to get back to you, you declare an emergency and escalate the hell out of this— Jon Stevens-Hall (@Jon Stevens-Hall) 1640626386
Or...and hear me out...LOOK INTO IT ANYWAY!— Merry Effin' Curtmas (@Merry Effin' Curtmas) 1640626659
Look into this NOW, YOURSELF, IMMEDIATELY JESUS CHRIST— VahnFox (@VahnFox) 1640626851
You saw the tweet @AmazonHelp? Why insisting on some f**ing processes instead being proactive in this case? \n\nIs this some kind of \u201cnot my job mentality?\u201d! \n\nJeez\u2026— Engin Diri (@Engin Diri) 1640627819
It's funny that after a complaint about some AI malfunctioning to the point that it could threaten a child's life, the heartless out-of-touch response comes from a customer service AI. \n\nWell done for making that dystopian future a little more plausible, Amazon.— Julian A. L. (@Julian A. L.) 1640631577
Hahahahah, NO. You need to escalate this issue internally IMMEDIATELY as a P1, because this is a threat to life and limb. You have all the info you need. Don\u2019t wait for customers to do your job for you.— Shaun Ruigrok (@Shaun Ruigrok) 1640632464
Or wait a bit and then his lawyers can escalate the issue themselves!— Claude Rivest (@Claude Rivest) 1640635125
This particular challenge started in 2020, but somehow Alexa picked this out of the many other viral challenges that are less harmful.
Back when it first became viral, the Boston Globe reported on the Plymouth Fire Department responding to an attempt at the challenge at Plymouth North High School.
Fire Chief Edward Bradley said:
“These actions are extremely dangerous and could potentially start a fire and cause thousands of dollars in property damage."
"It could also cause serious injury to anyone who is nearby."
“These actions are also grounds for criminal charges."
"Luckily no one was hurt today, but we urge parents to talk to their children about this troubling trend and tell them how dangerous it is to themselves and others.”
There's been no statement from Amazon since the incident went viral.