On the increasing humanisation of computer devices & AI and the impact on human relationships…
I have become concerned about the impact on a generation who have grown up with voice-activated, human-like devices…
Gendered machines
Almost all devices that use voice interaction, from the first sat-navs to sophisticated interactive devices like Alexa, are given female voices by default and thus endowed by implication with female personalities… Though many of these allow the user to select an alternate voice (and therefore personality), I wonder how many people choose to do this? And how many of those switch to a male one?
Why is this?
Women have traditionally been negatively characterised as subservient in our culture – here to be men’s helpers – so there may be an automatic (derisory and negative) association with something tasked with a menial role. Also, for men, revealing ignorance on anything to another male is risky – we have to at least pretend to know where we are going and what we are doing – perhaps a ‘female’ device seems less threatening? Unfortunately, we are used to, and may feel more ‘comfortable’, exposing our vulnerable ignorance with a female…
What effect does this have on our relationship to women in a society that is increasingly ‘served’ by sub-human but female-characterised voices? Will it impact and erode whatever respect and value for females that the feminist movement has fought for over the last century?
Technology powered by profit can only cater to and therefore reinforce the lowest common denominator of cultural patterns. Market research just identifies and reinforces what the majority are already ‘comfortable’ with. The ‘Market’ will never be a driver for positive change – that falls on people, in the form of organised activism, and eventually, government and legislation (this is one of the many good arguments against the current free market hegemony if you were looking for one). If we leave it to market forces, the gains that we have made through generations of hard work and committed activism and advocacy will be reduced…
The demise of empathy?
Quite early on in my use of AI assistants, I found myself rethinking my habit of saying please when making a request – I felt like a fool after putting ‘please’ after a request to ChatGPT. Realising it was totally redundant, I have become more brisk and authoritarian in my interactions. The fact that this took a while is probably very English of me, coming as I do from a culture of rigid politeness – no doubt it comes more naturally to Americans!
Noticing this, I started to wonder if the habits gained from our increasingly prevalent use of AIs might have a corresponding impact on the manner of communication with, and our attitudes towards, other humans. Are we re-learning the kind of interaction that presumably existed in slave owning cultures (one that I have observed still survives amongst those who have led privileged, wealthy lives and are surrounded by servants)? Are we at risk of having our empathy for others eroded? Will we become a society of little Führers, ordering everyone about? Will women in particular suffer a retrogressive, reactionary impact, leading to a reduction in the respect given them?
At the very least, could this make the British habit of courtesy (as some small gesture of respect towards fellow humans) become redundant?
What is it like if you have the misfortune to actually be called Alexa??