4 ms·

I mean no offense, but how is this really solving any problems? How is inventing a new voice many people are uncomfortable with really making the world a better

by oldgun 8y ago

I mean no offense, but how is this really solving any problems? How is inventing a new voice many people are uncomfortable with really making the world a better place? A user configurable male/female voice could just work.

BenFrantzDale 8y ago
The idea, I think, is that it matters that/if we gender our digital servants—that as we use them more it will affect our sense of gender rolls. That Siri and Alexa are both female by default puts them in the stereotypical female-secretary roll. I have Waze speak as a British male, of course then he sounds like a stereotypical butler. It would be fun if I could set it to be Batman or HAL9000, but it would probably get old.
- wahern 8y ago
  And it's the same wrong idea as violent video games making children more violent. Both (a) fail to appreciate substantive causes and relationships, and (b) discount the nuanced contextual distinctions that people (even children) naturally make. Aside from the motivations of the engineers (which are unclear and maybe even irrelevant), I think it's interesting technical work, including taking a stab at gender perception in speech patterns with a bold application.
- seventhtiger 8y ago
  I mean, to really address this problem, don't we need genderless employees in the workplace?
  - gregknicholson 8y ago
    We already have them. I'm agender and I'm typing this from my workplace (during lunch). The response to this AI voice demonstrates that a lot of people automatically hear any human(ish) voice as either female or male, one or the other. Similarly, people automatically recognise individuals as either female or male, one or the other. There's a very narrow band of presentation that won't be read automatically as one of those two options. See how difficult it is to stop your brain from making automatic (possibly false) assumptions.
    - seventhtiger 8y ago
      To be honest I don't understand what being agender means. I respect whatever presentation and choices you make for yourself even if I don't understand it. I just don't think things having gendered presentation is an issue. There are many languages with a female sun, male moon, female Earth, male oceans, and so on. I don't think making assumptions that are true of the vast majority is necessarily wrong. What's wrong is reacting negatively and rejecting someone like yourself who doesn't wish to participate in the concept of gender, and that's cool, but communication based on gender is still efficient in most cases.
- chicob 8y ago
  I vote for Jeeves.
- greyman 8y ago
  > That Siri and Alexa are both female by default puts them in the stereotypical female-secretary roll. But isn't this happening only if some marxist is searching for this "problem"? I never considered it this way, until your comment. It's like with the service OP is presenting... they are offering "solution" to made up problem.
danharaj 8y ago
How are you solving any problems? Edit: my point being that it's a rude and combative way to pose that question
- grandsui 8y ago
  what

by oldgun 8y ago

BenFrantzDale 8y ago

The idea, I think, is that it matters that/if we gender our digital servants—that as we use them more it will affect our sense of gender rolls. That Siri and Alexa are both female by default puts them in the stereotypical female-secretary roll. I have Waze speak as a British male, of course then he sounds like a stereotypical butler. It would be fun if I could set it to be Batman or HAL9000, but it would probably get old.

wahern 8y ago
And it's the same wrong idea as violent video games making children more violent. Both (a) fail to appreciate substantive causes and relationships, and (b) discount the nuanced contextual distinctions that people (even children) naturally make. Aside from the motivations of the engineers (which are unclear and maybe even irrelevant), I think it's interesting technical work, including taking a stab at gender perception in speech patterns with a bold application.
seventhtiger 8y ago
I mean, to really address this problem, don't we need genderless employees in the workplace?
- gregknicholson 8y ago
  We already have them. I'm agender and I'm typing this from my workplace (during lunch). The response to this AI voice demonstrates that a lot of people automatically hear any human(ish) voice as either female or male, one or the other. Similarly, people automatically recognise individuals as either female or male, one or the other. There's a very narrow band of presentation that won't be read automatically as one of those two options. See how difficult it is to stop your brain from making automatic (possibly false) assumptions.
  - seventhtiger 8y ago
    To be honest I don't understand what being agender means. I respect whatever presentation and choices you make for yourself even if I don't understand it. I just don't think things having gendered presentation is an issue. There are many languages with a female sun, male moon, female Earth, male oceans, and so on. I don't think making assumptions that are true of the vast majority is necessarily wrong. What's wrong is reacting negatively and rejecting someone like yourself who doesn't wish to participate in the concept of gender, and that's cool, but communication based on gender is still efficient in most cases.
chicob 8y ago
I vote for Jeeves.
greyman 8y ago
> That Siri and Alexa are both female by default puts them in the stereotypical female-secretary roll. But isn't this happening only if some marxist is searching for this "problem"? I never considered it this way, until your comment. It's like with the service OP is presenting... they are offering "solution" to made up problem.

danharaj 8y ago

How are you solving any problems? Edit: my point being that it's a rude and combative way to pose that question

grandsui 8y ago
what