No. The use of a virtual assistant is optional; you can initiate music from the Bose Music app and other sources without using Alexa. In countries where Alexa is available on the Bose Smart Speaker 500, the option to add Alexa can be declined during setup and revisited at any time. You can also remove Alexa from the speaker at any time, via the settings menu of the Bose Music app. And when Alexa is installed, the microphones may be turned off at any time with the “Microphone off” button on the speaker.