So, you’re hosting a dinner and a dispute arises about the pre–Twin Peaks work of Mädchen Amick. Your AI sidekick will settle it in a flash, right? With the internet at its fingertips, you would think so. We put Google Home and Alexa to the test, challenging them with real questions from a real trivia quiz. The answers speak for themselves.
1. Who is Batman’s butler?
Home: Alfred Pennyworth [and then a New York Daily News story].
Alexa: Sorry, I can’t find the answer to the question I heard.
2. Four presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Name all four.
Home: According to Christian Science Monitor, the other US presidents who have won the Nobel Peace Prize are, in chronological order, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Jimmy Carter.
Alexa: [No response. I rephrase …]
Which four presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize?
Alexa: Hmm. I can’t find the answer to the question I heard.
3. Four state capitals are named for US presidents. Name all four and the state they’re in.
[Nothing, so I tried …]
4. Who was the first person to use “OMG”?
Home: Here is a summary from the Huffington Post. In addition to
representing the first known use of the phrase “OMG,” this 1917 letter from Lord Fisher to Winston Churchill has given us a new favorite catchphrase: “Shower it on the Admiralty!”
Alexa: Hmm. I can’t find the answer to the question I heard.
5. What is a googol?
Home: Google! Search for information about someone or something on the internet using the search engine Google.
Alexa: A googolplex is written as a 1 followed by a googol zeros. A googol is itself 1 with 100 zeros after it, which is many times bigger than the number of atoms in the universe, so a googolplex is far too big to possibly write out in decimal form.
6. Which three animated films have been nominated for Best Picture?
Home: According to Wikipedia, only three animated films have been nominated, and none have won.
Alexa: Hmm. I can’t find the answer to the question I heard.
7. What film marked the debut of Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse?
Home: Sorry, I don’t know how to help with that yet.
Alexa: [Sad sound.]