[Amazon’s] Alexa can be renamed, should you wish. If you have a pet or a child with an awkwardly similar name, you can reprogramme the system and opt instead for the more neutral ‘Echo’ – an eerie reference for anybody familiar with the Greek myth of Narcissus – or ‘Computer.’ But Alexa is the default, her voice unchanging.
In the novelty of Alexa’s first few days as a resident in their home, Dad printed off a list of ‘Easter Egg’ questions; You can ask Alexa to ‘Set phasers to stun,’ and she will respond with a Star Trek reference in kind. I roll my eyes, thinking of those who programmed her, but am charmed all the same. When I visit, I like to try and come up with questions not on that list, like verbal cheat codes in a game. There was one I thought of about an hour after making her acquaintance.
‘Alexa, can you pass the Turing Test?’
In a soothing, consistently helpful voice, unfazed by my asking such a personal question, she responded. ‘I don’t need to pass that. I am not pretending to be human.’