{"id":108257,"date":"2018-09-27T13:45:14","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T13:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=108257"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:59:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T05:59:24","slug":"google-assistant-strange-behavior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/google-assistant-strange-behavior\/","title":{"rendered":"Has your Google Assistant been creeping you out?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Since Google Assistant became bilingual, many users have been reporting unsettling behavior from their AI powered smart speakers<\/h2>\n<p>AI Assistants are handy little things. Once you get past the privacy implications of having a device that is always listening in your home, the benefits are quite impressive. From the basics like playing music or the latest news, to the more complicated tasks like dimming your lights or turning the heating on before you get home from work, having an AI assistant can make you feel a little like Tony Stark or a &#8220;Star Trek&#8221; captain.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_108258\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-108258\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-108258 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant.jpg\" alt=\"Strange behavior from Google Assistant\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant-664x374.jpg 664w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant-238x134.jpg 238w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant-436x246.jpg 436w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant-304x170.jpg 304w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/09\/Google-Assistant-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-108258\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">People have been reporting strange behavior from their Google Assistants<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As the list of skills gets bigger and bigger, however, we may need to start thinking about the strain we\u2019re placing on our digital friends. Google\u2019s recent move to make its AI Assistant bilingual, and able to help users in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Japanese may have pushed it a little too far. According to Tech Radar, <strong>since the bilingual feature was introduced, people have been reporting some rather strange behavior from their Google Assistants.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;&lt;!-- Shortcode [program] does not exist --&gt;&quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:513,&quot;3&quot;:[null,0],&quot;12&quot;:0}\"><div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Google Assistant\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_app-logo-l,f_auto,dpr_auto\/p\/d3da0a58-d5ad-11e7-ac3b-5d9518ffbf98\/1696075209\/google-assistant-logo.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Google Assistant<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/google-assistant.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download now<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--80\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"80\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"8\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\">8<\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/google-assistant.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Google turned on bilingual on\u00a0August 30. Since then, some users have reported that Assistant has been responding to their queries in <strong>strange voices and even with strange accents.<\/strong> One user said her Assistant was talking in a male voice with an American accent despite being set to British female. Others have reported random switching between accents and flat refusals to switch back.<\/p>\n<p>Google acknowledged that there is a problem after a lot of users took to the official Google Assistant forum to complain. If hearing a strange voice talk back to you would freak you out, imagine the poor users who have been repeatedly ignored by their Google Assistant, even after they say the <strong>&#8220;OK, Google&#8221;<\/strong> <strong>wake word<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/turning-smart-home-device-on_925x.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">The essential guide to Google Assistant<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/the-essential-guide-to-google-assistant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Read now<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/the-essential-guide-to-google-assistant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t too long ago that people were bugging out because <strong>Amazon\u2019s Alexa was creepily laughing and nobody could figure out why.<\/strong> Are the robots learning how to mock us and biding their time until they\u2019ll strike us down and take over the planet or is it just a bit of mixed up code?<\/p>\n<p>No matter how impressive our digital assistants may be, you simply can\u2019t compare current artificial intelligence to human intelligence. They are not comparable entities. There isn\u2019t really a brain powering the responses our AI assistants give us. All that is happening is all the possible responses are considered and the correct one is given. At least, that is how it is <em>supposed<\/em> to work. Sometimes things can get a little mixed up. You can breathe easy, the robots are not going to kill us. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/us-and-russia-cant-reach-agreement-on-killer-robots\/\">At least the AI Assistants aren&#8217;t, anyway<\/a>.<\/p>\n<!-- Shortcode [playwire] does not match the conditions -->\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/profile_images\/557965220178432000\/co5IizIf_400x400.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">Check out this fully holographic AI assistant<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/would-you-like-a-fully-holographic-ai-assistant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Read now<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/would-you-like-a-fully-holographic-ai-assistant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since Google Assistant became bilingual last week many users have been reporting unsettling behavior from their AI powered smart speakers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9073,"featured_media":108258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[1015],"tags":[2610,1068],"usertag":[782],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-108257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-app-subdomain-redirectiongoogle-assistant","tag-google","usertag-purchaser-gadget"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9073"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108257"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":327321,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108257\/revisions\/327321"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108257"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=108257"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=108257"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=108257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}