31 January 2023 , 06:34
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An internet prankster has fooled people into thinking his Amazon Alexa has predicted World War 3.
Jon Buckhouse, who specialises in posting spoof "Alexa responses" online, shared a video on TikTok showing his smart home device saying: "World War 3 starts on November 23, 2023 at 6:05pm, when Russia launches an attack against Germany”.
The frightening prophecy is one of many uploaded to his account recently, with some of his most popular clips including one claiming that Miami would be completely destroyed in a 2025 hurricane and another predicting Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will run for President.
In a now infamous video, the device says: "On Sept. 4, 2025, at 3:08 p.m., Florida will be hit by a Category 5 hurricane with winds as high as 205 miles per hour. Miami will be completely destroyed."
Researchers from online fact-checking service Snopes suggested he may be making use of the "Alexa Blueprints" feature, which enables owners of Alexa-enabled devices to create custom responses to specific questions.
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The spoof clip shows a TikTok prankster's device saying Russia will launch an attack on Germany in November (AFP via Getty Images)This means you could, for example, teach Alexa your WiFi password so it can remind you of it when needed.
When the tool was launched, Amazon suggested it might be useful to provide custom information such as emergency contact details to a babysitter, for example.
Steve Rabuchin, Vice President, Amazon Alexa, enthused: “Alexa Skill Blueprints is an entirely new way for you to teach Alexa personalised skills just for you and your family.
“You don’t need experience building skills or coding to get started—my family created our own jokes skill in a matter of minutes, and it’s been a blast to interact with Alexa in a totally new and personal way.”