Could Siri and Alexa make you eat more healthily, without you knowing?

Domino’s Pizza has announced a partnership with Amazon’s voice-controlled artificial intelligence (AI) assistant Echo. Consumers can ask Echo to order pizza and it turns up on their doorstep a few minutes later.

While this is a great leap forward for getting pizza to hungry mouths with minimal effort, it opens up an important debate. If a consumer asks for pizza, what brand should the assistant order? And should it nudge consumers towards healthier choices, without them knowing it?

Do not underestimate the power of the default

It’s Friday night, and after a long day at work you ask your virtual personal assistant to order a pepperoni pizza. Your assistant orders the pizza and pays using your stored payment options. Twenty minutes later Echo informs you that your pizza is en route and a short while later it arrives at your door.

This frictionless ordering is an exciting development in the internet of things. But it opens up ethical questions. For example, what company have you just ordered a pizza from? Is it Domino’s, Papa John’s, or one of the independent fast food outlets in your neighbourhood? Could a company pay to be the default option, if a consumer does not specify where to order the pizza from?

What about the pizza itself? Is it a standard pizza, or could the personal assistant order one with a lighter crust and low-fat cheese to give you a healthier meal? Could it even order extra vegetables on the pizza, in an attempt to get you closer to eating your five portions of fruit and vegetables day?

Search Engine Optimisation on steroids

There is commercial value for restaurants, supermarkets, and food and drink brands in being the default option on these ordering services. Phrases such as 'Get me a Coke' could spark off a trademark war, as brands fight to control standard phrases that drive consumers to their products.

This fight already occurs with search engine optimisation. Brands spend lots of time, money, and effort to be the top result on Google or Bing. Paid ads, placing brands at the top of search results, is a lucrative business for these tech giants.

Personal assistants such as Echo will increase the fight for search engine optimisation. A brand can fight to be the first result on a search on a web browser, but the consumer can easily scroll down to explore other options.

This is less likely with personal assistants. Communication with them is audible, not visual. A consumer is not going to ask their assistant to find 20 different pizza options. They’re going to ask for a pizza, and then carry on with the rest of their day. This makes it crucial for brands to become the default option.

Siri, make me thin

Nudge theory, famously explored by Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler, encourages companies and governments to help consumers make better choices by actively shaping the default option. This concept has been applied to healthcare insurance plans, pension enrolment, and the choice of sides in restaurants.

Could a personal assistant help you to eat healthier, without you knowing? Could it order low-calorie options, more vegetables, or diet drinks, unless you actively tell it not to?

Nudge theory does not limit your choices, as you can still order French fries and super size soda. But you have to make an effort to ask for these.