What You Say To Siri & Alexa Matters More Than You Think

"Alexa, what are you wearing?" "Alexa, are you horny?" "Alexa, how much do you weigh?" Alexa -- Amazon's freestanding virtual assistant -- doesn't wear or own any clothes, she can't (physically) feel horny, and she doesn't weigh a single pound. Nevertheless, some people find it normal, and even funny, to pose questions like the above (and other Easter Eggs) to the popular voice-controlled helper. Would we be asking a virtual assistant the same questions if the voice were male? All are female, and all elicit an image of an assistant who is not just a woman, but a woman people can boss around, flirt with, and act inappropriately towards. Compound that with portrayals in the media -- like this 2015 magazine cover showing female robots sitting at typewriters -- and it all starts to feel like a big step backwards rather than one towards the future.