LAUSR

Intelligent personal assistants (IPAs), such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana and others, offer an example of an emerging technology with an uncertain adoption path. Evidence on how users adopt this technology is scarce, often anecdotal, and usually focuses on private uses and contexts. We conducted a study to examine Amazon Alexa adoption in a public common area of an iSchool. The study data were obtained from Alexa logs, observations of the public space, an online questionnaire, and interviews with students. Overall, IPA adoption trends among students were similar to adoption trends in the broader population and included using IPAs primarily at home for weather checks, quick references, setting an alarm/timer, and other requests. However, in a public academic setting, user interactions with Alexa were primarily characterized by questions about Alexa's features, “opinions,” and rhetorical or mindless questions or requests. Such interactions might be explained in light of the device's novelty, user curiosity, and the anthropomorphizing of Alexa. Many participants ignored the device due to the lack of need to interact with it, lack of awareness, or perceived awkwardness of using it in a public space. The findings could be used to inform improvements of Alexa's features, educate potential adopters about its current functionality and limitations, and inspire directions for future research.