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Writer's pictureKatie Coxall

Female Helpers: What does the feminisation of AI say about modern gender roles?

Edited by Madison Challis; writtern by Katie Coxall


Today, the names ‘Alexa’ and ‘Siri’ have connotations that go beyond typical first names. When Apple announced the arrival of ‘Siri’ in 2010 as a voice-activated assistant, initially as a standalone application for iPhones, this unknowingly created a domino effect of AI being embedded into new electronic devices. Then came Amazon’s ‘Alexa’ and Microsoft’s ‘Cortana’. With the swift use of an activation term said aloud by the user (sometimes the programme’s name or just a simple ‘Hey!’), your virtual assistant is alert and ready to help with any queries or questions you have.


Spoken phrases like “Hey Siri, add oranges to my shopping list” or “Alexa, how long is left on my timer?” can be overheard daily. Anything you want to know or hear, this assistant can now present for you. They can tell jokes or play songs; they can scour the internet in less than a second to find the name of an actor that you’ve forgotten. There are options to customise this assistant and change the accent or gender of voice, but the fact remains that these assistants come pre-set as feminised characters. Amazon’s Alexa has a voice that’s been described by The Verge as “calm, warm, and measured”. There is no confirmed ‘voice actor’ for Alexa, although some journalists have their guesses (one being voice actor Nina Rolle), and Amazon refuses to comment on who Bezos originally singled out as the cornerstone for the voice of his AI assistant. A reassuring, anonymous woman who responds to your frustration with a sense of calm. 

It seems Freudian and typically traditional to have a relaxed yet completely synthesised woman waiting for you to have any trouble that she can assist with, which prolongs and expands the concept of having a maid in waiting to a wider, modern audience.


Of course, there is the argument that this could still feel strangely uncanny if the voice was male. However, it is hard to overlook the fact that every well-known AI assistant is characterised as female, not simply having a female voice. CEOs of tech companies refer to the programmes with their  pronouns, and many people (myself included) talk about these ever-listening assistants as if they were living, breathing people. To be genderless, as ChatGPT is, would be a less damaging approach, yet the inherent femininity of these voice-activated AI systems reinforces the idea that women should serve the masses.


Adrian Johansen, in her essay on the feminisation of AI, talks about how these bots are feminised due to the perceptions of the male programmers that construct them. Consciously or unconsciously, these men may see women as more suited to “service-based job roles” as opposed to traditionally masculine jobs such as “farmer, landscaper, or plumber.” This perhaps subconscious perception of women being more adapted to roles that serve can also be seen in the development of so-called ‘Sex Robots’: AI machines ranging from physical robotics to online chat services / VR games that emulate sex work services. 


Alongside the increased production of sex toys during the pandemic, it’s reported that Florida-based company Sex Doll Genie received a 50% increase in demand for sex robots and dolls in 2020. Sex Doll Genie is reportedly developing a device that will “simulate breathing and have a robotic heartbeat.” Dolls will also soon have full conversations, remember things that you like and dislike, and have a ‘genuine’ relationship with their ‘owners’, according to Realrobitix’s CEO, Matt McCullen. The pandemic was a time that exaggerated loneliness and isolation, so this demand is not too surprising, but the developments that these sex dolls are experiencing can also be harmful. This over-sexualised representation of the female body has been reported by the BBC to cause psychological damage: smart sex robots can confuse ideas of intimacy, sexual desire, and human relationships, especially if accessed at a young age. 


The damaging effects of sex robots may appear blatant, but the similar ideas that are associated with more mainstream feminised AI present underlying issues. The notion of “serving” society, as mentioned earlier, instils a gender norm that the feminist movement has been fighting for generations. By reintroducing the female role of “helper” or even “servant” through AI, new generations will accept it as a role that is expected to be filled by a woman. Paired with the oversexualisation of women through other forms of artificial intelligence like sex robots, it is hard to accept an ethos of acceptance or equality as provided by tech companies creating these characterised AI programmes.


Alexa with pink background from Glamour mag


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