TikToker claims Amazon Alexa told him to punch his kids in the throat
SWNSA TikToker went viral after claiming Amazon Alexa told him to punch his children in the throat when he asked an innocent question.
The content creator and father was baffled with the virtual assistance device‘s brutal response, after asking how to stop his kids laughing.
In a now-deleted TikTok video, Adam Chamberlain shared Alexa’s shocking reply, after buying the new smart speaker for his home. He explained how he came across a Reddit post asking for questions to ask the Amazon speaker.
“Alexa, how do you stop kids from laughing?” he asked in the viral clip.
The device responded with: “According to an Alexa Answers contributor, if appropriate, you could punch them in the throat.
“If they are writhing in pain and unable to breathe, they will be less likely to laugh.”
The response gained popularity after being posted to TikTok, as it amassed over 215,000 views.
“We’ve just got the Alexa and I saw it on a post on Reddit with funny Alexa questions. I decided to put it up on TikTok because I found it funny, 21k people liked it so I think it tickled some people,” Adam explained.
However, despite the largely positive reactions, some people claimed it to be set up and the response automated.
“There have been a few comments saying it was a routine that it was programmed,” Adam said. “It’s not. I’m just glad my video made a few people laugh.”
Amazon says response has been removed
The response is said to have now been removed, and was attributed to the Alexa Answers feature of the device.
An Amazon spokesperson has said: “This answer was removed in September as soon as we became aware of it.
“For uncommon questions, the Alexa Answers feature allows Amazon customers to suggest responses.
“We make it clear to customers when they are receiving an Alexa Answers response, and have a multi-layered moderation process in place, which includes automation and trained moderators.
“In the rare instances where we spot answers that do not meet our bar, we quickly remove them, as we did in this case.
“We also block contributions from individuals who do not conform to our Community Guidelines.”