DIVERSITY & INCLUSION ( D & I )
An
Ethical Revolution in Tech : How Women Can Lead the Way | Samantha Karlin , CEO of Empower Global
politeness – it is argued – further gendered stereotypes and are markedly different from that which we see in male voice assistants .
One of the first digital reports to raise this issue came from UNESCO , in collaboration with Germany and the EQUALS Skills Coalition , in 2019 .
The report heavily criticised the submissiveness of Siri , particularly in regards to its responses to sexual harassment . It stated that such a response , and the characteristic servility of female voice assistants , “ provides a powerful illustration of gender biases coded into technology products , pervasive in the technology sector and apparent in digital skills education .”
“ The thing about technology is that it seems harmless . We think of tech as neutral , right ? But , what that does when the voice of an assistant – whether it be Alexa , Google
Home or Siri – is a woman , is perpetuate the norm of a woman as secretary , as servant , as assistant ,” explains Samantha Karlin , CEO of Empower Global .
This idea is reinforced further by the key differences between male and female voice assistants . It has been widely flagged that male voice assistants are typically used for warnings or alarms that strictly tell you to do something . Meanwhile , female voice assistants are largely used for assistive tools . In short , female voice assistants tend to follow your requests , while male voice assistants tell you what to do . Problematic , right ?
78 February 2023