Is Alexa a Setback for Feminism?

Voice-activated personal assistants like Alexa and Siri are becoming increasingly popular. While the assistants each try to differentiate themselves in someway, there is one inescapable commonality: they are all female.

Voice-activated personal assistants like Alexa and Siri are becoming increasingly popular, both with tech companies trying to capitalize on a new market and with consumers looking for a little help in their day-to-day activities. While the assistants each try to differentiate themselves in someway, there is one inescapable commonality: they are all female.

In this Atlantic article, Ian Bogost explores why this might be, and what it could indicate about personal assistants and the tech companies behind them. With personal assistants, Bogost argues, we are playing into the stereotype of women slotted simply to service and subservient roles, eager to please. Ultimately, these personal assistants are “doomed to fail” as they fall short of the expectation of perfection.

Read the full article here: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/01/sorry-alexa-is-not-a-feminist/551291/