'Flirtatious' Virtual Assistant Shut Down After WSJ Suggested It Objectified Women - Breitbart

According to the Wall Street Journal, the "virtual-reality avatar" named Vivi depicted a "flirtatious secretary in revealing clothes" and was in beta testing for a virtual reality headset created by iQiyi, before the company pulled the assistant just "hours after The Wall Street Journal asked whether such depictions encourage a view of women as sexual objects in the workplace." Vivi was reportedly able to help users with average tasks "via voice commands" but "could also flirt with users and respond to commands to dance," which prompted users online to praise her "sexy dances, with her enchanting figure." Though Vivi was originally created to be an AI girlfriend, the Wall Street Journal reported that "revisions in October placed her in an office setting." Following complaints, iQiyi removed the virtual assistant and released a statement apologizing. "The earlier version of the product is a beta-testing version designed to gather users' feedback," the company claimed.