Rocco, an African grey parrot that lived under the care of the British charity National Animal Welfare Trust, needed to be transferred to the home of employee Marion Wischnewski due to his persistent habit of swearing. The bird's inappropriate behavior ended up resulting in his departure from the shelter.
In his new home, Rocco discovered the virtual assistant Alexa in the living room and learned to interact with the device. In April, Marion made the surprising discovery when she asked Alexa to read aloud the pending items on the shopping list and found products she had not added.
The parrot had added strawberries and broccoli to the list, totaling about $3. Marion told CNBC Make It that, luckily, the products were never delivered because the system was set to require login in processing the order, allowing the cancellation of the items.
The case shows how artificial intelligence can be exploited in unexpected ways, even by animals, highlighting the importance of maintaining active security measures on internet-connected devices.
