The Speaker That Argues Back

Elio and Camila have a smart speaker in their kitchen. They use it to play music and set timers.

埃利奥和卡米拉的厨房里有一个智能音箱。他们用它放音乐、设定计时器。

This week, the speaker starts acting strange. Camila asks it to play jazz music, but it plays rock instead.

这周，音箱开始变得古怪。卡米拉让它播放爵士乐，它却播了摇滚。

"That's not what I asked for," Camila says. She tries again, but the same thing happens.

“我要的不是这个，”卡米拉说。她又试了一次，结果还是一样。

Elio asks the speaker to set a timer for ten minutes. A voice answers, "Timer set for thirty minutes."

埃利奥让音箱设一个十分钟的计时器。一个声音回答：“已设定三十分钟计时。”

"This speaker doesn't listen well today," Elio says.

“这个音箱今天听不清我们说话，”埃利奥说。

They check the speaker's settings on their phone app. Everything looks normal.

他们在手机应用里查看了音箱的设置。一切看起来都正常。

That evening, their neighbor knocks on the door. "Sorry to bother you," she says. "Does your speaker also say strange things?"

那天晚上，邻居来敲门。“不好意思打扰了，”她说，“你们的音箱也会说怪话吗？”

Camila laughs. "Yes! It plays the wrong music and sets the wrong timers."

卡米拉笑了。“会！它放错音乐，还设错计时。”

"I think our speakers hear each other," the neighbor says. "Our kitchens share a wall, and the sound travels through it."

“我觉得我们的音箱能听到彼此，”邻居说，“我们两家的厨房共用一堵墙，声音会穿过去。”

Elio checks the wall between the apartments. It's thin, just like the neighbor says.

埃利奥查看了两套公寓之间的那堵墙。墙很薄，正如邻居所说。

"That explains it," Elio says. "Your speaker probably hears our commands too."

“这就说得通了，”埃利奥说，“你们的音箱大概也听到了我们的指令。”

They agree to use different wake words for their speakers. The next morning, the music finally plays correctly.

他们商定，两个音箱各用不同的唤醒词。第二天早上，音乐终于播对了。