Echo is a nymph

This year's hottest holiday gift, the Echo from Amazon is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, tell jokes, find information, read the news, and more. Much more. Whether you want it to or not.

As a leading technologist, I frequently analyze trends in software, engineering, and data science. And the Echo hits a sweet spot at the intersection of these three subjects. Literally, a trifecta of technology trends.

First, let me explain the article's title. In Greek mythology, Zeus loved coming down to Earth from Mount Olympus to hang out with beautiful nymphs. After checking his credit card receipts, his wife became suspicious and came down to bust the old goat.

Echo, a lovely nymph, tried to cover up for Zeus. Bad idea. The wife threw a curse on Echo (who was once a chatty Cathy) so she could only speak the last few words that were spoken to her. Later on, Echo met and fell in love with Narcissus. But unable to tell him how she felt, she was forced to watch him as he fell in love with himself. Classic Greek tragedy.

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts

Naming this product Echo was brilliant. And chilling at the same time. I'm assuming Amazon started with Trojan Horse but found they couldn't trademark or copyright that. So all aboard the Echo!

A subtle implication with this name is that Echo is benign. She can only love us - from afar. How convenient. She's not there not to express herself in anyway, but simply to serve, to execute our every command. As an example, if you ask her what she thinks about Joaquin Phoenix, the response is "I don't have any preferences or desires." Sounds nice, doesn't' she? Besides, she's way cooler than The Clapper.

So though she may know better, Alexa is not allowed to direct Echo to say, "A small, seriously? You haven't been a small since high school! For God's sake stop trying to fool yourself and order a large. We can't afford the return costs - you're killing us!"

Of course, in this mythical analogy we as consumers are cast in the role of Narcissus. I'll let you think about that one and draw your own conclusions.

(Note: If you haven't seen the movie Her, do yourself a favor and check it out.)

The problem with nymphs

Silliness aside, there is something about this product (and other products of this type such as Google's Home) that I believe people should be aware of. As the old saying goes, knowledge is power. And another oldie but goodie - forewarned, forearmed.

Most of us understand that in the modern world we often pay for service and convenience - at the price of privacy. Personally, my expectation for privacy is so low that it virtually no longer exists. Everything we do, type, or soon even say or see - will be part of a permanent record. My hope is that we use this data to create a more humane and intelligent collective consciousness. My fear is that it's an extraordinary power that could be abused by a few to the detriment of the many.

Because make no mistake, this technology is another leap forward. And with all new and advanced technology comes progress, and unexpected opportunities. And dilemmas. For example, it's not difficult to imagine with its amazing far-field microphone technology, the Echo could conceivably listen to every single word spoken in your house. By you, your guests and your children. Maybe even your neighbors.

And technically, it would be pretty trivial to activate the Echo from the cloud (that's where Alexa, the AI brains behind the toy lives). It's also easy to imagine the NSA and law enforcement agencies thinking it would be a cool idea to eavesdrop on 'persons of interest'. It's that combination that makes me a wee bit nervous.

From a legal standpoint, voice tracking isn't necessarily out of line. "These devices are microphones already installed in people's homes, transmitting data to third parties," Joel Reidenberg, director of the Center on Law and Information Policy at Fordham Law School in New York City, told USA Today. "So reasonable privacy doesn't exist. Under the Fourth Amendment, if you have installed a device that's listening and is transmitting to a third party, then you've waived your privacy rights under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act."

Alexa is not your friend

Alexa is an excellent consumer product. People love it. Some of the cool things it can do: read a book to you, find a song and play it, call Uber and get you a car, give you local weather and traffic reports, and much more. And all with an easy and natural communication medium - your own voice.

At the same time, Amazon is a US corporate behemoth. It's the 4th largest company in the world. It's bigger than Exxon Mobil, PetroChina, or BP. That means something. It means they are a for profit company. And a very good one at that.

Personally, I'm under no illusion that Echo and Alexa are benign. Their purpose in life is not designed to make life easier. Or better. Those might be pleasant side effects, but side effects they are. They were created for one reason, and one reason only. So that Amazon can make more money by selling more stuff. Plain and simple. Capitalism 101. Again, nothing wrong with that I say. As long as you know what you are getting into.

But here are a few Orwellian features from Amazon that should stop and make you go, hmm. You can only use the wake up words - Alexa, Amazon or Echo. Voice shopping is available. But only to Prime Members. And only for Prime-eligible products. Talk about keeping all the good stuff for yourself.

Leaders need to educate. And that's what I hope this post is doing, by sharing observations and insights based on decades in science and technology. Because there has never been a more important time for tech leaders to own their products, platforms, understand the implications of algorithms, and engage in the challenging conversations about exactly what their roles are. Can you hear us Jeff, Mark, Larry and Sergey?

Afterword

Personally, I love Amazon. (Not only because they have Machine Learners that have 'read' this post and they know more about me than the government;-) They provide a valuable service, and I'm a huge fan of Amazon Prime. Free shipping! OK, for a price. $108.41 per year to be exact. But let's just say I'm not going to rush out and get an Echo anytime soon.

My advice to everyone as we start a new year, is to please be good and be kind to everyone and everything you meet. Help others as much as you can. Especially those in need. Carry with you an attitude of gratitude. And be careful who you let in your house. Or what.

Happy Holiday, and I hope that 2017 is your best year ever!