Interruptions are annoying - even if they are from SIRI. You and a friend are at home talking about research for a new project at work when your smart speaker suddenly interrupts you. Siri: "To sync into your Couchbase data center."
or
You're at home, alone, quietly watching a Brazilian soccer match and suddenly your smart speaker says ALEXA: "After his performance in the 1959 World Cup, several European teams offered large contracts for Pele to come play for them."
Northeastern University studied the phenomena and says a comment from a smart speaker without hearing a 'wake' word is just a glitch - but you were being recorded. The sudden statements can be topical to what it heard or just something out of the blue. Siri: "Inception is about dreaming about dreaming about dreaming about something or another... I fell asleep."
Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple have ways for you to delete your recordings - whether intentional or accidental. If you don't want to be interrupted or unknowingly recorded, turn off your device.
Activations when you didn't use any 'wake' word can occur up to 19 times a day according to the study. If you talk to your pets, watch out! SIRI: "Cats lose almost as much fluid in their saliva through grooming themselves as they do through urination."
The University calculates this happens, you're recorded for up to 43 seconds.