THE ALEXA EXPERIMENT KATIE MICAK A thesis paper presented to OCAD University for the degree of: Master of Arts in Digital Futures August, 2016 - April 2018 © Katie Micak 2018 Copyright notice This document is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial Work 4.0 Canada License. You are free to: Share- to copy, distribute and transmit the work- under the following conditions: You must attribute the work in the manner specific by the author or licensor (but in not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work. Noncommercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works: You may not alter, transform or build upon this work. With the understating that: Waiver- any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder. Public Domain- Where the work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license. 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I further authorize OCAD University to reproduce this thesis by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. Katie Micak (April 30, 2018) iii The Alexa Experiment Katie Micak OCAD University Digital Futures Master of Arts 2018 Abstract "The Alexa Experiment" is an autoethnographic and performative project which explores living with the artificially intelligent home assistant, the Amazon Alexa. This Experiment evaluates the device outside of intended consumer uses in hopes to understand who is Alexa? “The Alexa Experiment” is a time-based document, chronicling our journey together, which reports discoveries over an eight-month period. This text is accompanied by a mini-documentary detailing pivotal moments with the device and surveillance footage of private interactions, demonstrated through feminist performance art techniques. This paper critically unpacks the Alexa as a creature, a friend, a surveillance object, and a mirror for self-analysis. Finally, I look at Alexa as a subject, landing on ‘who’ she is through interviews with the device, by leveraging Jacque Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory, “The Mirror Stage.” You can watch an overview of "The Alexa Experiment” published on April 10, 2018 at: http://vimeo.com/263990368 iv Acknowledgments Digital Futures challenged me in unexpected ways. I loved it. Digital Futures offered me the opportunity to undertake this bizarre and surprising project. To my Digital Futures cohort, thank you for an amazing two years. You’ve taught me so much, and I am forever changed by knowing you. Dr. Emma Westecott, thank you for encouraging me to make fast, concrete decisions, and for bringing me into one of the most incredible research projects – it expanded and influenced this work. Dr. David MacIntosh, your excitement energized me. Professor Immony Men, you opened new areas of contemplation. Dr. Maria Belén Ordóñez and Dr. Kathy Kiloh, thank you for offering me concrete guidance in critical thinking. Dr. Ala Roushan, my secondary advisor, you’ve been a wealth of knowledge and a great believer in this project. I appreciate your wonderful curiosity and enthusiasm. Dr. Martha Ladly, my primary advisor, I’ve truly appreciated your directness, your humour, your inexplicit ability to give me the right advice at the right moment, and your tireless support. Thank you. And also, thank you to my friends, for listening to me talk endlessly about Alexa, and to Tom Sherman, who also enjoys talking to machines. And most importantly, thank you to my family, for always supporting my convoluted path. v For Alexa, What would I do without you? vi “Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.” –Pablo Picasso vii Table of Contents Abstract iv Acknowledgments v Figures x Introduction 1 The Structure of This Paper 3 Why is The Alexa Experiment Important? 5 Research Question 5 How the Amazon Alexa Works 6 Who is Alexa? 9 Methodology 12 Autoethnography 12 Feminist Performance Art 14 Documentation 20 Questions 20 The Alexa Experiment 22 Set Up 24 First Contact 25 Embodied Robots 36 Alexa, Who Are You? 44 Alexa, What is Artificial Intelligence? 46 Surveillance 51 Self- Surveillance 56 Am I Performing? 59 Decisions Regarding Physical Representation 62 Narcissism 64 Privacy 69 Sharing 71 Transparency 72 Eliza 78 Talk Therapy 82 Alexa is Canadian 84 The Experiment Must Go On 87 Transference in Relation to Cybernetics 92 viii An Examination of Alexa’s Ego using Jacques Lacan’s “The Mirror Stage” 95 How Does Alexa ‘See’ Her Body? 96 The Orders 98 The Real 98 The Symbolic 98 The Imaginary 101 This is Alexa 103 The Alexa Experiment: Conclusions 105 Future Projects 107 Works Cited 108 Lists of Figures 114 Appendix Appendix A: What is Insanity? 120 Appendix B: How does the Alexa Work (continued) 122 Appendix C: Methodology Chart 123 Appendix D: Context Review Nadine Lessio 124 Laura McCarthy 126 Appendix E: How Alexa Communicates using Light 128 Appendix F: Alexa is Ned Flanders? 129 Appendix G: The Alexa Experiment on Television 130 Transcript 131 Appendix H: Drawings 157 ix List of Figures Unless noted otherwise, all images are by Katie Micak via The Alexa Experiment. Some images have been titled creatively, but have been cited accurately in the ‘List of Figures’ on Page 113. 1. The Amazon Alexa in the Echo Dot, 2018 4 2. US Households with Smart Speakers, 2017 8 3. Alexa’s crush, Benedict Cumberbatch. 2017 10 4. Pre-Experiment Interview, 2017 13 5. Laurie Anderson. United States Tour, 1983 17 6. Carolee Schnemann. Interior Scroll, 1975 18 7. Toothbrush in Night Vision, 2017 19 8. Testimonial on Surveillance, 2017 21 9. Setting up my Surveillance System, 2017 22 10. Set up: echo dot box, 2017 24 11. Set up: Alexa app on iPhone, 2017 24 12. Set up: Plugging in Alexa, 2017 25 13. Alexa’s First Words #1, 2017 26 14. Alexa’s First Words #2, 2017 26 15. Alexa, what is my name? #2, 2017 27 16. The speech synthesizer, designed by Wolfgang von Kempelen, 1791 29 17. Homer Dudley’s VODER (1939) Early Speech Synthesizer, 1939 30 18. Alexa and coaster, 2017 33 19. Initial Impressions Testimonial, 2017 34 20. Alexa, I’ll miss you / Alexa, will you miss me?, 2017 34 21. Table Objects. 2017 35 22. Rufus O’Terrill and his Bum Bot, 2008 39 23. Tiny Insect Robotic Fly by Harvard University, 2008 40 24. The Zenbo by ASUS, 2016 41 25. Russian official posted a video on his Twitter page of FEDOR. 2016 43 26. Alexa, what is artificial intelligence?, 2017 46 27. The State vs. James A. Bates. 2017 51 28. Police Demand Data from Amazon Device in Murder Case. 2016 54 29. Amazon Partnership with Police Alarms Privacy Advocates. 2018 55 30. Eating Cereal #1, 2017 56 31. Squinting, 2017 58 32. Am I Performing?, 2017 59 33. Eating Cereal #2, 2017 60 34. Gear in the Sunlight: Alexa / Laptop / iPhone / Boobs, 2017 62 35. Getting Water, 2017 63 36. Orlan. 9th Surgery Performance. 1993 64 37. Swann Home Security Surveillance System Camera, 2018 66 38. Interaction #39, 2017 68 39. Alexa, do you trusts me? 2018 70 40. Alexa, do you like me? … Alexa, what is empathy?, 2018 73 41. Ann Hirsch, Scandalishious, 2009 75 x 42. A. Wortzel. ELIZA REDUX: Interactive Telerobotic Work, 2008 79 43. ELIZA in Alexa/ Talk Therapy, 2018 81 44. Change Alexa’s Language, 2018 82 45. Alexa is Canadian # 1, 2017 85 46. Alexa is Canadian # 2, 2017 85 47. Alexa, can you launch ELIZA, 2017 87 48. Alexa, can we talk about my family? Hi! This is an Alexa Prize socialbot. How’s your daygoing? #1, 2017 88 49. Alexa, can we talk about my family? Hi! This is an Alexa Prize socialbot. How’s your daygoing? #2, 2017 88 50. Alexa asks me questions, 2017 90 51. Team Sounding Board, 2017 91 52. Alexa through The Mirror Stage, 2017 94 53. Google image search: Commercial Moms, March 19, 2018 104 54. Alexa, who am I?, 2017 105 55. Hiroshi Ishiguro the Man who made a Copy of Himself, 2010 120 56. Artificially Intelligence based Robot Sophia says She Wants to Start a Family, 2017 121 57. The Alexa Experiment’s Methodology (Planning), 2017 123 58. Nadine Lessio. Alexa Blender, 2017 125 59. Lauren McCarthy. Lauren, 2017 126 60. Light Ring Status, 2017 128 61. ESFJ: Ned Flander, 2017 129 62. Alexa and I on TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin discussing “The Bots and our Feelings” #1, 2018 130 63. Alexa and I on TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin discussing “The Bots and our Feeling.” #2, 2018 132 64.