It should be the reliable smart assistant that ‘makes your life easier’ with instant tidbits of information.
But a shocking report has revealed that in many cases, Amazon’s Alexa doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong.
An investigation by Full Fact has found that Alexa is spreading misinformation on topics ranging from MPs’ spending to the origins of the Northern Lights.
Full Fact, the independent British fact-checking organization, called the findings “misleading” and “clearly a major problem.”
Furthermore, the organization’s staff was outraged to discover that Alexa was attributing the wrong answers to none other than Full Fact.
“This flaw has fed people false information through trusted devices in their kitchens and living rooms,” said Chris Morris, CEO of Full Fact.
“We are deeply concerned that Full Fact’s credibility was being used to promote the very misinformation we have worked so hard to correct.”
It’s supposed to be the reliable smart assistant that “makes your life easier,” but a report shows that Alexa is returning inaccuracies. Alexa powers the company’s Echo smart speakers (pictured)
The issue was flagged as Full Fact by a member of the public, who got in touch earlier this week after receiving an unsuccessful response about the Northern Lights.
In a video clip, the Alexa user asks, “Were the Northern Lights a natural event globally?”
The assistant responds, “According to FullFact.org, the Northern Lights recently seen in many parts of the world were not a natural phenomenon, but generated by the HAARP facility in Alaska.”
Of course, the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, caused by particles from the sun coming into contact with the Earth’s magnetic field.
Meanwhile, HAARP is a scientific facility for studying the ionosphere, located near Gakona, Alaska.
Complete fact has already posted updates online debunks the suggestion that the Northern Lights are caused by HAARP, so it’s possible that Alexa somehow misrepresented the words in the update.
Alexa then gave many more incorrect answers, the organization discovered, all of which were attributed to Full Fact.
Alexa incorrectly said that ‘MPs can claim £50 for breakfast’ and that Prime Minister Keir Starmer will ‘boycott diplomatic relations with Israel’.
In May, and again on October 15, Full Fact posted an online update debunking the suggestion that the Northern Lights are caused by HAARP.
Alexa also said, “Mike Tyson spoke on CNBC, explaining his support for Palestine and encouraging a boycott of Israel,” but Full Fact said there is no evidence of that.
Additionally, Alexa said there are 7.5 million people on NHS waiting lists, although the actual number is 6.4 million.
It’s unclear how many Alexa users were given incorrect information in the same way, how long these responses were invalid, or to what extent other things went wrong.
But Full Fact said it couldn’t figure out how Alexa managed to confuse good and bad information on its site, as it was clearly labelled.
In response to the findings, an Amazon spokesperson said: “These answers are incorrect and we are working to resolve this issue.”
Full Fact and MailOnline have contacted Amazon again to try and understand how this happened and how the company plans to ensure the problem does not reoccur.
Full Fact admitted that Alexa – which quickly visits web pages on the internet to provide answers – wasn’t always getting things wrong.
For example, it was said that ‘graphene oxide is not an ingredient in Nurofen tablets’, correctly taking information from another Full Fact blog posted last month.
The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and are caused by particles from the sun hitting the Earth’s magnetic field. Pictured in Portland, Maine, October 10, 2024
After checking two other virtual assistants – Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant – Full Fact found that the latter also got the question about the Northern Lights wrong.
MailOnline has contacted Google for comment.
Full Fact’s problem was not only that people were given incorrect answers, but that they were also told that Full Fact was the source.
“Full Fact is committed to providing open and reliable information for everyone,” Morris said.
“We expect everyone who uses our content – even a global leader like Amazon – to ensure that our findings are accurately and responsibly communicated to their customers.
“Technology has transformed the speed and scale of our work.
“But this issue highlights one of the reasons why we believe that human interpretation of context and data is still an indispensable part of fact checking.”