Is My Google Assistant Developing a Mind of Its Own?

Have you ever had a technology experience that left you scratching your head? Lately, I’ve been having one of those very moments with my Google Assistant, and I can’t help but feel a bit unnerved.

For the past few months, my Google Assistant has been misbehaving in ways that are both minor and annoying. It seems to activate at random times, either cranking up my volume or pausing videos abruptly. Sometimes it even skips to the next video without my consent. The interruptions can be frustrating, to say the least.

In November, after reaching my limit with this disruptive behavior, I decided to disable the Assistant entirely. I went through the settings, turning it off for good—or so I thought. To my surprise, it would still activate on its own. Instead of the usual interface popping up, I started seeing a message that read, “Your Google Assistant is here to help, Turn On,” almost as if it was urging me to reactivate it.

This experience raises an interesting question: has my device somehow evolved into something sentient? My tablet is rather dated—it’s a model from around 2012—so maybe it’s starting to have a mind of its own. Alternatively, I can’t help but wonder if it’s been compromised by a hacker.

What’s truly eerie is that when I attempt to research how to completely delete the Assistant or ways to check for potential hacking, the prompt reappears, blocking me from accessing those very pages. It feels like I’m being thwarted at every turn.

I’m honestly at a loss about what to do next. Have any of you faced similar issues with smart assistants? How did you handle it? Your insights would be greatly appreciated!