Sharing a Name with a Robot

 “Alexa, what is the weather today?”  “Alexa, what time is it?” Alexa, tell me a joke.”

The above are comments or commands I have heard since the Amazon Alexa came out when I was a rising fourth grader. Being a nine-year-old girl, I was bombarded with questions concerning any fun fact or question under the sun. At first, I went along with the skit, thinking that sharing a name with a robot was joyous. As the school year went on, the jokes ramped up. Only succumbing to a drastic halt when my teachers discussed with the class about interrupting learning time to make jokes about my name. That year, for Christmas, I received an Amazon Alexa. I was grateful, but simultaneously felt discouraged thinking back on the jokes that people would make. I set the Amazon Alexa in my room. On activation, whenever a family member would call me, the Amazon Alexa would respond with a swift reply. After a few weeks, I looked up how to change the name to Amazon or Echo. 

 

As I have aged, the jokes about the product have slowed but not ceased. I sometimes question why a corporation like Amazon would choose the name Alexa. Apple famously picked the name Siri. I have never met someone with that name. Obviously, my name is Alexa, and ironically enough, my neighbor’s name back home is also Alexa. It is safe to say, to me at least, the name Alexa is a bit more common. 

 

In grade school, I was tasked with an assignment outlining the context and background of what the name “Alexa” means. From then, I had an understanding that my name translates to “helper of mankind”. Upon discovering the idea of this blog, I wondered if the name translation was the reason Amazon selected the name as their AI representative. After a quick Google search, I learned the Amazon Alexa is in homage to the ancient library of Alexandria.

 

Since I was born before the Amazon Alexa was released, I consider myself a possible inspiration for the robot. Although I do not think I will be asking Alexa many questions anytime soon. 

Me and my Amazon Basics Alarm Clock