by VINCENZO BORGOMEO
Everyone talking about the best products seen at CES in Las Vegas, including incredible gadgets and automotive technologies of the future. But the worst? Obviously they find little space in the European media, but not in the more ruthless American ones. So after a bit of research, here are the (so-called) most hated ideas, the absolute worst which, among other things, could lead to quite a few problems. They are choices made by very reliable consumer groups including Consumer Reports, Electronic Frontier Foundation and right-to-repair advocates iFixit.
The car at the top of controversy
The car, in this sector of flops, is the protagonist but there are also easily hackable lawnmowers, disposable earphones costing 300 dollars and many products that jeopardize our safety, which encourage excessive and wasteful consumption and effectively normalize privacy violations.
Automotive technology, as we know, is the center of attention at CES every year. And many automakers have come under fire for their partnerships with Amazon's voice assistant Alexa. Based on a broad language model – the type of AI system behind chatbots like ChatGPT – Amazon says an Alexa “car expert” will be able to provide “instructions and quick answers about vehicle functions in a much more human, similar to a conversation, and also act on your behalf.”
Too much power to Alexa
But this “acting on your behalf” could mean asking Alexa to open the front door or turn off the porch light. Handsome. But what if a asking is a stalker, a former lover turned violent? “We've seen a growing number of horrific stories where people, typically women, end up having their cars used as vectors for tracking and abuse,” explained Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
This is why car manufacturers who turn our cars into tracking devices are under fire.
Danger of distraction
Not only that: BMW also presented augmented reality glasses designed by Xreal, which should overlay useful information and virtual objects that you will see in front of you while driving. While Mercedes has launched a system that allows you to compose music from the cockpit: all things at risk of potential distractions.
But everyone is silent. And among robot vacuum cleaners and microwave ovens that collect data nonstop, only BMW and Amazon have responded to the accusations, rejecting them and claiming that the their systems are very secure. It's already something in this jungle of super technology.
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