Every day in tech discussions, someone will mention that they are so thrilled to have AI running in their homes. When excitedly I inquire what they mean, the response is always the same: Alexa of course! Wrong. Basic ground rules:

1. At this time Alexa (voice) provided by the Echo hardware is a conversation layer NOT AI!
2. You are stating your commands via VOICE and not typing the commands
3. Alexa is converting the voice into actions via the cloud and running apps in the cloud
4. You (not Alexa) chose to connect things such as your music, calendar, Email, movie channels, and all else to it. (Alexa does not really know you!)
5. When you speak to Alexa, you are issuing a voice command which then translates into action just as if you had typed it… The integration in the back is cool but not rocket science and no- this is not AI! Alexa doesn’t know you
6. When you ask Alexa about the weather, that’s the same as typing ‘weather’ in your browser

Where could this all go? Alexa could have an image recognition module to look at your facial expressions, choose appropriate music, which corresponds to your likes and dislikes and much more, but as it stands today, Alexa is not AI. Why is this important? Potential is massive but critical we not confuse the facts!