How many of us have tried to get Alexa or Google to play a song, only to face a hilarious misunderstanding? This is exactly what happened to a Cuban living in the United States—known as @jorge_drake1992 on TikTok—who wanted Amazon's virtual assistant to play "Rivers of Babylon" by Boney M, based on his pronunciation or a sung fragment.
"Alexa never understands Cubans. Can someone tell me the name of the song?" wrote the Cuban, who resides in Houston, alongside a video that has sparked some of the most amusing and creative responses from users.
Comments poured in, with users saying things like, "If Alexa gets you in person, she'll slap you silly"; "But Alexa is hiding behind the fridge"; "He wanted to say put aloe for the virus, I understood him perfectly, this cracked me up"; "Let me tell you, neither Alexa nor I understood"; "I'm dying"; "I was watching the video and my Alexa responded the same way"; "Alexa, where can I take English classes?"; "I love that song but don't know who sings it"; "I'm Cuban and I understood you perfectly"; "Alexa deserves an award"; "You totally confused Alexa, it was unintelligible, poor Alexa"; "I'm Cuban and didn't understand you"; "He thinks yelling will make her understand"; "We Cubans are the best"; "I'm about to replace mine because even in Spanish it doesn't understand me, and I get so frustrated"; "The more I watch, the more I laugh"; "Poor Alexa"; "You don't speak English, buddy"; "I got it the second time"; "I understood perfectly"; "I'm dead"; "Badu biru sa sábila, I died"; "Barubilosabila, oh my, Alexa knows nothing"; "Alexa's going to have a stroke"; "Wow, Alexa is dumb"; "Alexa is a communist, she understands nothing."
Among these comments, many users also provided the correct name of the song. However, this isn’t the first time this Cuban has made people laugh online with a similar attempt. A few months ago, he went viral trying to get Alexa to play "We Are the World" by Michael Jackson.
Frequently Asked Questions About Alexa and Cuban Accents
Here are some common questions and answers about the challenges Cubans face when interacting with virtual assistants like Alexa.
Why does Alexa struggle to understand Cuban accents?
Alexa's voice recognition technology is primarily trained on standard English accents, which can make it difficult for the assistant to understand non-standard accents, including Cuban Spanish.
Can Alexa be trained to understand different accents better?
Yes, users can help Alexa improve its understanding by using the voice training feature available in the Alexa app. This allows the assistant to become more familiar with the user's specific accent and pronunciation.