Experts reveal why voice assistants have female voices

Microsoft's Cortana, Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant all have something in common – each AI is programmed to have a female voice. Other than Apple adding the option of a male voice for Siri, all of the technology on the market speaks with a softer tone. Although some consider this move an act of sexism, two studies have revealed that both men and women preferred female voices - which were found to be'warmer' and'understanding'. Microsoft's Cortana, Amazon's Alexa (pictured is Amazon Echo, Alexa's home) and Google's Assistant all have a female voice. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has recently cited two studies that investigate these allegations, which have discovered that'both women and men find the female voice welcoming and warm,' reports Joanna Stern with WSJ. One study from Indian University played male and female synthesized voices for both men and women.