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Alexa Gone Bad: When A.I. Assistants Turn On Us

In the new ‘Child’s Play’ film, the wicked Chucky doll is reconceived as an A.I. assistant. But what if our real smart-home helpers rebel in less murderous ways?

NOW THAT the “Smart Home of the Future” is finally here, we can shout at A.I. assistants like Amazon’s Alexa to start manipulating our fancy TVs, lamps and coffee makers—then shout at them again when, as so often happens, they fail us. It’s no wonder sci-fi books and movies often assume robots will turn on humanity. That’s essentially what happens in the reboot of the “Child’s Play” horror series, in which the smart-yet-sinister Chucky doll, reconceived as a walking Alexa-like device, goes in for the kill.