Keeping a pet bird usually means cleaning up feathers and dealing with loud squawks. You buy them seeds and maybe a few plastic toys to keep them busy. But one woman got a massive shock when she started receiving mysterious packages at her front door. She lived completely alone. She had not bought anything online in weeks.
Yet delivery drivers kept showing up with boxes of expensive fresh fruit and sugary snacks. The culprit was not a credit card thief or a computer glitch. The mastermind was sitting right in her living room inside a metal cage.
A Brain Built For Mischief
African Grey parrots are not like normal pets. Scientists say they have the intelligence of a small human child. They can solve complex puzzles and actually understand the meaning of the words they speak. They do not just blindly repeat sounds they hear on the television. They know exactly what they are saying and when to say it.
A bird named Rocco took this natural genius to a completely terrifying new level. His owner had a smart speaker sitting on the kitchen counter. She used it every single day to control the lights and play music. She also used her voice to buy things online. Rocco sat quietly in his cage and watched her every single move. He was paying very close attention to how the machine worked.
Hacking The Voice Assistant
Smart speakers are designed to listen for a specific wake word. Once they hear it they record everything you say next and send it to the internet. Rocco figured out the exact tone and pitch of his owner’s voice. He waited until she left the house for work. Then he got down to business.
He perfectly mimicked her voice and woke the device up. He started adding his absolute favorite foods to her shopping list. He ordered juicy watermelons and massive boxes of sweet strawberries. He even tried to buy a kettle and a decorative light bulb just for fun. The machine recognized the commands perfectly and processed the payments without a single error. The bird was essentially running up her credit card while she was sitting at her office desk.
Catching The Feathered Thief
The owner finally realized what was happening when she checked her mobile app and saw a massive list of pending orders. She canceled the weird items just in time. She was completely baffled until she checked the voice recordings saved on her account. She pressed play and heard a raspy parrot voice happily chatting with the robot and demanding fresh fruit.
She had to put a strict parental lock on all her online accounts just to stop her pet from bankrupting her. The brilliant bird proved that modern technology is incredibly convenient for humans. But it is also dangerously easy for a clever animal to hijack if they really want a tasty snack.
References: You can read the full story of Rocco the parrot and his shopping spree in this bizarre news report by The Times. For a deeper look at just how incredibly smart African Greys really are check out this fascinating scientific breakdown by National Geographic. To see other crazy ways pets interact with modern smart homes read this hilarious technology review by Wired.