Why are virtual assistants from Amazon, Google and Apple all “female”? Technically speaking, of course, virtual assistants don’t have genders. But they do have names and voices that suggest to users they are more “female” than “male” — a characterization that reinforces some of the worst gender stereotypes in our society.

Source: CBC Technology News

Date: January 26th, 2017

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/female-virtual-assistants-1.3937759

Discussion

1) “Why does this matter? Because it reinforces a power dynamic that we simply can’t overlook: virtual assistants are designed to be subservient, and creators send a clear message by making them all “female.”   Now you have had this viewpoint expressed so clearly, what are your thoughts?

2) “Bots are getting smarter, and soon, they’ll be everywhere. Now is the time to pay attention to these design details.”   What other “design details” are getting overlooked?