Post by @ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social

2026-09-21 12:39 UTC

Looks like the LLMs have come for grandpa. My dad, age 90, a longtime tech enthusiast who uses an #Amazon Echo to check the weather and baseball statistics, reports to me that the Echo has started asking him personal, intrusive questions, including whether he lives in an assisted living facility. I witnessed this yesterday — he asked for a pollen count and it tried to start a chat about his favorite methods for coping with ragweed allergies. They’re trying to sell old people drugs. 1/2

Replies (3)

@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social 2026-09-21 12:50

Even my dad, who never met a gizmo he didn’t like, is ready to throw the Echo out the window. But my father still has all his marbles, and he knew he should tell me about this. What about the vulnerable elderly who don’t have the necessary defenses to push back? I’m both disgusted and a bit frightened. This needs to be exposed quickly. Suggestions welcome. #AI #ElderAbuse

Open ##4804964
@angiebaby@mas.to 2026-09-21 13:18

@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social I have never trusted the idea of Amazon branded tech in my home, as far back as the Kindle. My first question then was, "Why force their own proprietary e-book format when there's already a library-approved and universal standard?" Books in the epub format have only been readable on Kindle devices for four years - fifteen years after the Kindle was initially released. And then books started disappearing from people's accounts.

Open ##5127891
@futurebird@sauropods.win 2026-09-21 13:58

@ClimateJenny@biodiversity.social It would be helpful to make recordings of these interactions if they are happening. It sounds like it might be age targeted which is alarming but not surprising.

Open ##5127896