TV advert propels Amazon Alexa to order cat food

A TV ad for Amazon's Echo Dot smart speaker caused some viewers' devices to try to order Purina cat food, resulting in concerns about the security and reliability of voice-activated technology.

An Amazon ad featured a scenario in which someone said, "Alexa, re-order Purina cat food," which was interpreted by some viewers' devices as an actual command.

Despite Amazon's efforts to prevent such interactions using techniques such as acoustic fingerprinting and frequency manipulation, the particular ad still managed to activate some devices. 

The incident persuaded the viewer to lodge a complaint with the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) alleging that the ad was irresponsible as it led to an unsolicited order.

The ASA ruled the advert was not in breach of the UK advertising code, and that Amazon had updated Alexa to automatically cancel any orders that had not been actively confirmed by the customer.