Skip to main content

Amazon reportedly has thousands of workers listening to Alexa chats

Thought no one was listening to your Alexa chats? Think again. Amazon reportedly has thousands of workers around the world listening to people’s private exchanges in recordings captured on Echo devices after the wake word is detected. The procedure is part of Amazon’s ongoing work to improve Alexa’s performance.

The company employs contractors “from Boston to Costa Rica, India and Romania” to listen to recordings made with Alexa using Amazon’s Echo speakers, according to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday, April 10. They then transcribe and annotate the text before using software to analyze it with the aim of enhancing Alexa’s abilities.

Related Videos

The news outlet spoke to seven individuals who worked on the program, each of whom has signed a nondisclosure agreement that prevents them from speaking publicly about the process.

While Amazon says on its website that it uses “your requests to Alexa to train our speech recognition and natural language understanding systems,” it seems likely that most people would imagine that only computers perform the task, rather than humans.

A screenshot seen by Bloomberg indicated that the analyzed Alexa recordings — made after a user utters the device’s wake word — do not include information such as a user’s home address. They do, however, link to an account number, and also show the user’s first name and the device’s serial number.

According to two workers in Bucharest, a reviewer can deal with as many as 1,000 audio clips during a typical nine-hour shift, with the work described as “mostly mundane.”

The teams sometimes share audio files in internal chatrooms if they need help understanding a particular clip, though they might also share some “amusing” recordings if they come across one during their work, the report said.

On a more sinister level, several reviewers said they sometimes hear what appears to be criminal behavior taking place, but were told by Amazon the company was unable to get involved.

Amazon launched its Alexa digital assistant with its first Echo smart speaker in 2014. Google, Apple, and others have followed with their own similar devices and smart assistants, though it’s not currently clear which precise methods other companies use to improve their software, and whether humans are closely involved with the work.

While they have made huge strides in the last few years, digital assistants are in the relatively early stages of development, and can still be confused by accents, dialects, slang, and nuances in the language. Such challenges have prompted programmers to deploy a range of processes to help enhance an assistant’s overall performance. But Bloomberg’s revelation is likely to have privacy campaigners calling for more transparency from companies about how they are developing their voice-activated software.

In a statement to Bloomberg on the issue, Amazon said: “We take the security and privacy of our customers’ personal information seriously. We only annotate an extremely small sample of Alexa voice recordings in order [to] improve the customer experience. For example, this information helps us train our speech recognition and natural language understanding systems, so Alexa can better understand your requests, and ensure the service works well for everyone.”

The Seattle-based company added that it has “strict technical and operational safeguards” in place, and has a “zero tolerance policy for the abuse of our system.”

Editors' Recommendations

Amazon Astro gets new pet- and security-focused features
Astro looking at an open front door of a home.

Last year, Amazon announced its new home robot Astro. Astro combines autonomous navigation, intelligent motion, Alexa, and a cheery personality all into one device. Thus far, you could use it to help patrol and secure your home or have it always near a loved one for communication. Today at its fall hardware event, Amazon announced new features that Astro will have to improve its intelligence.

First, Astro is no longer just for the home, but also for small and medium-sized businesses. Having Astro patrol your business after hours or while you're away is an excellent alternative to hiring a security guard. Speaking of which, Astro can now utilize Ring's Virtual Security Guard feature to keep businesses protected. For example, suppose the company is already using Ring Alarm systems, and an alarm goes off. In that case, Astro can investigate what is happening while a rapid response agent can visually observe what's happening in real time. Then, if needed, agents can take action by calling authorities or talking to intruders using Astro's cameras and two-way talk microphones.

Read more
New Amazon Echos bring ‘dot displays’ and mesh networking, plus models for kids and cars
The Echo Dot with Clock sits on a table.

At Wednesday's Amazon Devices & Services event, the company announced a brand-new lineup of Echo Dot devices. These include a new Echo Dot, Echo Dot with Clock, Echo Dot Kids, and a new Echo Auto device. The Echo Studio also received a couple of more color options, as well as a software upgrade.

All of these devices feature updated technology and several new features that make them well worth the upgrade, and pre-orders start today. If you want to snag one of these new Echo products for yourself, you can expect to receive it sometime next month.
Echo Dot
The new Echo Dot retains the spherical design of its predecessor, but with new technology on the inside that gives it a lot more power. It features a custom full-range driver and the most powerful excursion speaker of any Echo Dot, which allows it to produce double the bass of the previous generation.

Read more
Amazon’s Halo Rise is an alarm clock, sleep tracker, and wake-up light in one
The Amazon Halo Rise displaying a wake-up light.

Poor sleep is a problem plaguing a lot of people. Little interruptions, whether it's your partner turning over, a cat jumping onto the bed, or any one of a dozen other things can impact how refreshed you feel when you wake up. The new Amazon Halo Rise will help you get a better night's sleep by breaking down information about everything from your sleep itself to the environment around you.

Announced as part of Amazon's fall device event, the Halo Rise looks a bit like a ring light, but combines the functionality of a sleep tracker, smart alarm, and wake-up light in one. Onboard AI learns the users' sleep stages and details information about temperature and humidity in the room, as well as light levels. One key thing to note is that there's no microphone or camera on the Halo Rise; while it can be paired with Alexa, it's built with privacy in mind.

Read more