Alexa at Work?

Amazon's Alexa is coming to the office in the form of Echo. The company wants to install the voice assistant at offices for help with copying, meeting set-up, directions, and more.

Wirecutter describes the technology and use:

What sets Alexa and Echo apart from first-generation voice assistants is responsiveness. There’s no activation button to press. Simply say the trigger word (either “Alexa,” “Echo,” “Amazon,” or “Computer”) followed by what you want to happen, and it will usually be done—as long as you’ve set up everything properly and are using the correct command. Once you get used to the quirks, using Alexa feels much more natural and responsive than speaking to a phone-based voice assistant like Apple’s Siri. As a result, you’ll likely find yourself using your phone less frequently when you’re at home.

To learn more about how to use Alexa in your organization, visit http://amzn.to/2zrFvGX. Today, people spend too much of their day on tedious tasks at work, like managing their calendars, dialing in to meetings, or searching for information. But Alexa can help solve this problem by acting as an intelligent assistant at work.

Although the technology may be an issue, BBC reports that the bigger issues are privacy and security. After all, Alexa would always be "on" and would hear everything that goes on in the office.

Amazon plans to partner with makers of cars and appliances, so Alexa can be with you at every step. Some analysts think Amazon's big push on Alexa compensates for its not having a mobile phone to compete with Apple and others.

Discussion:

• Do you use a voice assistant? How do you use it, and how does it work for you?
• What's your view of Alexa at work? What privacy and security issues might concern companies?
• Would you recommend Alexa for some types of business but maybe not others? Which?