But something clearly went haywire when the primary user of the speaker subscribes to YouTube Music and a second user turns on Voice Match. Things make more sense with Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri, which also have voice capabilities. I checked in with both companies, and neither cuts off other members of a household with voice matches from using a shared streaming music account.

While technology has gotten lighter, faster and cheaper, it still could be a major expense for companies and take a physical toll on some workers. In some cases, workers could experience headaches and nausea -- a phenomenon that often happens more in women, said Bailenson, who implemented a 30-minute limit on the tech for his VR classes. Equally concerning, some applications require people to be able to wear a headset and use their hands for motion control, which excludes many people who have disabilities, he said.