Amazon Alexa

     

       Amazon's Alexa has made big waves in recent years. A home speaker with a built-in "AI," or artificial intelligence, assistant. The allure to Alexa is that is works simply by speaking to it. Alexa can carry out an array of tasks, including playing music, setting alarms, carrying out online searches, scheduling appointments, and more, all by simply saying, "Hey Alexa."  

      The convenience of the product led many people to be early adopters, with more and more buying Alexa as it ascended in popularity. Early advertising campaigns featuring pop-culture icons such as Cardi B contributed to its uptake. While other companies like Apple and Google have since released comparable products, Alexa remains on top of the market.

       Despite its success, however,  Alexa has been at the center of recent controversies over the recording of people's private lives and information without their immediate knowledge. Another scandal involving employees responsible for monitoring artificially intelligent assistants recording people having sex and selling the tapes has further contributed to controversy surrounding devices like Alexa.