It might seem like Amazon’s Alexa is reading your mind when she automatically orders more toilet paper or turns on the lights at a specific time. But a new Super Bowl ad shows why it might not be a good idea to have the AI go beyond just voice assistance.
Real life couple Scarlett Johansson (“Black Widow”) and Colin Jost (“Saturday Night Live”) star in the 90-second spot, released Monday in the commercial-heavy run-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI.
After commanding Alexa via Echo smart speaker to prep the house the morning of a game — she streams football on Prime Video, closes the blinds and chills some rosé — Jost and Johansson are struck by how it seems Alexa “can read your mind.”
The ad proceeds to examine the pitfalls of what the couple’s interactions would be like if Alexa was indeed a mind reader. Amazon even works in a plug for Whole Foods, the grocery chain it owns.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy tweeted that the ad was one of the tech giant’s commercials for Sunday’s game, so stay tuned for updates on what else Amazon has in store.
The Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals airs Sunday at 3:30 p.m. PT on Fox.