DIVERSITY & INCLUSION ( D & I )
“ We have a responsibility to design products that are inclusive and don ’ t perpetuate harmful norms , like the woman as the assistant ”
SAMANTHA KARLIN CEO , EMPOWER GLOBAL
Treating female voice assistants with derision is common . And what ’ s worse , many critics have challenged the way that these female voice assistants are designed to be subservient and provide humble , obedient responses – even if the user is being aggressive or making sexist remarks .
“ I don ' t know about you , but I ' ve actually gotten visibly upset when I ' ve heard some of my male friends yelling at Alexa when she doesn ' t do what she ' s supposed to do , because it normalises abuse ,” Karlin explains .
“ So why is this the case ? It is an example of a lack of inclusion in product design .”
The absence of diverse perspectives – what do we stand to lose ? For Karlin , this example is deeply indicative of a much wider industry trend .
“ When it comes to technology , we have a responsibility to design products that are inclusive and don ' t perpetuate harmful norms , like the woman as the assistant . But unfortunately , that ' s not what we see happening .”
Delving further into the field of AI , around one in four people working in this sphere is a woman .
“ So , that means that the people designing these products are men . I ' m not saying men can ' t be empathetic and appreciative . But , it means that there are not enough people with differing lived experiences that are designing these products , who can say , ‘ Hey , how about we don ' t design this for the default setting ( white , western and male )’,” Karlin outlines .
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