This sounds like the dudes who said the iPod was pointless because they already had MP3s on their computer, or wondering why they bought Macs instead of PCs. Other people are allowed to have different priorities than you, and it’s okay for products to find a niche which isn’t universal – very few things have smartphone levels of ubiquity.

It’s generally quite useful to react to other people persistently buying something you don’t feel the need for by learning what they value. For example, smart speakers are quite popular with parents who either have their hands full (literally), don’t want the distraction of a screen, or want something for the gap measured in years where a kid can talk but does not have a personal computer. That’s certainly not universal, but if you think about similar contexts or needs you might come up with some good product ideas which could be worthwhile even if they never ship in the billions of units.

This comment reads like the type of arguments people used to make about cell phones versus standard computers. Why is convenience so bad?

Also maybe try a longer shower or a bath. Its usually the most relaxing part of my day and I would hate to be in and out in 5 minutes

Someone on HN recently compared AI to a really buggy GPS.

People will still use it, since it mindlessly gets you on the road and looks like it knows what it is doing, which makes it the path of least resistance - and that will beat out better results for most people most of the time.

The same applies to Alexa and ilk - if you have it than it is easier to use than to do things any other way. Even if there are all sorts of mess ups on the way, it still will become the default action of anyone who tries it.

As they say - "Even a bolt of lightning will follow the path of least resistance, and it's not combating laziness or lack of focus"

Don't ever dismiss the power of inertia [or whatever this is called]. A listening AI agent that can perform tasks takes advantage of inertia.

We build the most sophisticated AI in the world to open Spotify app instead of pressing Play on a phone

I'm not especially big on smart speakers, but phones as remotes for home devices are even worse.

You ignored setting timers while cooking.

Thanks, my thoughts exactly.

Do you have cchildren? My kids yell at every device in the house. play bluey! turn the lights blue!