Why Are Virtual Assistants Female

Hearing the young daughter of a friend demanding answers from Amazon's virtual assistant, Alexa, gave me pause for thought, particularly during Women's Month. As writer Chandra Steel points out, our experiences with AI can teach and train it, but we are also shaped by these interactions. So,how is always having a compliant female virtual assistant shaping us? "Someone on TV has only to say, 'Alexa,' and she lights up. USC Sociology Professor SafiyaUmoja Noble says virtual assistants have produced a rise of command-based speech at women's voices. 'Siri, find me [fill in the blank]' is something that children may learn to do as they play with smart devices. This is a powerful socialization tool that teaches us about the role of women, girls, and people who are gendered female to respond on demand."