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Xinmei Shen

This article originally appeared on ABACUS
Smart speakers can do a lot of things for you. They help you make phone calls, read recipes, and control other devices. Now one Chinese company has another idea entirely: it wants its AI speaker to help people learn Communist Party thoughts.
Ximalaya FM, one of China’s most popular podcast apps, has a “Party-building” edition of its Xiaoya smart speaker. It's entirely in red and comes complete with the hammer-and-sickle logo.

Released in July, the special edition speaker does all the normal things a smart speaker does, but on top of that, it has a package of Communist Party lectures recorded by government-run news broadcasters.
The speaker is not for sale to the public, according to the company, which told us it only accepts orders from Communist Party organizations above the county level.

Ximalaya FM says the thinking behind the speaker is that smart speakers are a good way to learn for those people with little time, and audio can help them better understand the Party's thoughts and policies.
The company didn't answer questions from Abacus about what prompted them to make this speaker.
“Xiaoya AI speaker combines leading voice interaction technology with Ximalaya FM’s comprehensive Party-building red content resources, and makes it more convenient for users to study,” the company said in a statement.
Ximalaya FM did tell us that some organizations have placed orders, but declined to reveal how many or what counties or cities the organizations are from.

For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.



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"Alexa, read me a Communist lecture": A smart speaker for party members

"Smart Party-building learning assistant", the speaker’s poster reads. (Picture: Ximalaya FM)

“Xiaoya, continue to play the 19th National Congress Party report,” the woman says on the poster. (Pictures: Ximalaya FM)

Abacus

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It's like something out of Orwell's 1984


If you thought the last smart speaker was weird, how about one that plays Communist Party lectures? Ximalaya's smart speaker certainly isn't subtle: It comes in red, with a little gold hammer-and-sickle logo. Sadly, we'll never know how many consumers would actually buy it: Ximalaya says it's only available to certain Communist Party organizations.
