Why doesn't Alexa respond to its name heard on TV?

In a recent article on the Amazon Science blog, the authors explore why Alexa may not wake up when she hears her name in a Super Bowl advertisement. Although commercials are loud and attention-grabbing, there are technical issues that stand in the way. The biggest challenge is how devices recognize spoken commands in a noisy environment. Alexa is programmed to listen for her name in quiet conditions, which means that the noise from the ad can confuse her. Additionally, background sounds may distort audio, making accurate recognition difficult. A fascinating point is that the technology enabling Alexa to recognize commands is based on machine learning algorithms, which continually evolve but unfortunately cannot always cope with unpredictable acoustic conditions. In conclusion, despite modern technology, a quiet environment is crucial for the proper functioning of voice assistants, highlighting the challenges engineers face when designing such systems.