Virtual assistants and robots are frequently given female attributes. To curb the massive use of such gendering in AI, we need to better understand the deep roots of this phenomenon.
Are friends electric?
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“Alexa, why are the likes of Google and Amazon so determined to get us all to buy smart speakers?”
Amazon says it has considered adding facial recognition technology to its Ring doorbell cameras. Some politicians are concerned Ring’s video-sharing partnerships with police departments encroach on people’s privacy and civil liberties.
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Amazon says it’s the “new neighbourhood watch” but Ring may just be another technology that gives police too much data and lets neighbourhoods double down on their biases.
When hosting a dinner party, are you obliged to let your guests know that you own a smart device like Amazon Echo or Google Home? The answer is yes, according to a privacy researcher.
All the virtual personal assistants on the market today come with a default female voice and is programmed to respond to all kinds of suggestive questions and comments.
The computer offers a wealth of possibilities to the writer.
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According to a recent report, 30 per cent of web-browsing sessions will soon be done without a screen. Voice-enabled searches are becoming the norm, and that’s a problem for the food industry.
Tech companies portray virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri as our helpers. In reality, we’re helping them gather the behavioural data they need to turn a profit.
We don’t need to put the same effort into making the conversation polite or interesting when we’re talking to a chatbot.
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Chatbots and virtual personal assistants are becoming an integral part of our daily lives. They could change how we talk to each other, and how we relate to ourselves.
If you have voice shopping activated on your voice assistant, anyone in your home could potentially purchase items in your name.
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When an African grey parrot named Rocco made purchases via his owner’s Amazon Alexa voice assistant, it raised questions about who was legally responsible for footing the bill.
While personal digital assistants might be helpful, that help is likely to be limited.
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It probably won’t surprise you that if you ask Alexa to give you the best price on a product, the assistant will usually offer the price that’s available on Amazon.