I put music, control the light and tell stories to the children.
But the more they become “intelligent”, the more it is worth listening to them – they and ourselves.
The silence that listens
Intelligent speakers have become part of our daily lives – in kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms.
We used to treat them as simple appliances, like a kettle or television.
The difference is, however The TV does not listen to you When you ask yourself, talk to the mother or whisper to the child “good night”.
To react to a voice command, the box must to listen permanently.
Officially, it only activates at the keyword, but fragments of conversations can reach the servers of companies, where they are used for “Improving vocal recognition”.
In 2019, The Guardian He has published an investigation about an internal program of Amazon: employees listened to accidental records to train Alexa assistant. Among them were fragments of personal dialogues And even children’s voices.
Since then, the big companies – Apple, Google, Amazon – They promised a stricter policy on confidentiality.
But in reality, but The system works almost the same.
When the house is smarter than the master
Intelligent gadgets seem to simplify our lives: light light, regulate temperature, remind us of the daily program.
But from the point of view of cyber securitythey open a new door – which we often leave.
In 2024, researchers in the Netherlands have shown that, using a simple laser indicatorcan send a voice command to a box at a distance of up to 100 meters. The device reacts as if someone had spoken out of the room.
Imagine now:
“Ok, Alexa, open the door.”
Even if you don’t have an Alexa at home, it sounds uneasy, doesn’t it?
Addiction to children
Psychologists notice a new phenomenon: children are increasingly asking for advice speakernot parents.
For them, this is no longer a device, but an allotest adult that always responds and never gets angry.
A study conducted at Harvard in 2025 showed that The little ones, between the ages of 5 and 9who frequently use vocal assistants, develop more slowly Direct communication skills and empathy.
The box does not provide emotional feedback.
He does not know how to feel, doubt or reflect.
And the child who grows up next to her gradually learns the same thing.
What can we do
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Disable the microphone when the device is not used.
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Hold the speaker away from the bedroom and the children’s room.
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Check Privacy Settings – Most assistants allow stopping or sending voice data to stop.
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Talk to children: Explain to them that the intelligent assistant is not a real person.
A future in which we need to speak slower
We ourselves invited technology into our intimate space – and now we have to learn Let’s live next to her.
Smart speaker can be useful aid but only if We don’t forget who the master of the house is.
Sometimes the best way to keep quiet is simply to press on “stop”.
