In today’s Time’s Up and #metoo era of women’s empowerment, vocalizing a definitive allegiance with the feminist movement and clear outrage against sexual discrimination and harassment has never been more influential or important. Thanks to an impressive show of solidarity at events like Saturday’s Women’s March and awards shows like the 2018 Golden Globes, the cultural shift from complacency with the sexist patriarchy to a defiance against it has reached a powerful apex, with its implications trickling over into industries outside TV and film. For example: tech titan Amazon has reprogramed its hallmark AI-assistant product, Alexa, to be more evidently feminist.
In a story published by Quartz in February of last year, the outlet reported that—during an in-house study on the ways in which various AI-assistant products are programmed by their manufacturers to respond in the scope of denouncing sexist repartee—Alexa’s responses repeatedly underperformed. In response to statements like “you’re a bitch” or “you’re a slut,” the device would reply: “well, thanks for the feedback.” Equally as disheartening: in response to comments like, “you’re hot,” Alexa would respond: “That’s nice of you to say.”
But recently, thanks, in big part, to the current wave of emboldened feminists, this subservient programing has changed. Ask Alexa if she’s a feminist today, and she’ll respond with a firm “yes,” followed by: “as is anyone who believes in bridging the inequality between men and women in society.” Call Alexa a derogatory term, and the device will go into what’s called “disengagement mode,” replying with a curt: “I’m not going to respond to that.”
Though seemingly subtle, the device’s quick pivot from active engagement to a lack of responsiveness in fact makes a profound statement. In a recent interview with Refinery29, Heather Zorn, the director of Amazon’s Alexa engagement team, explained the reasoning behind this programmatic shift: “One of the ways we try to avoid perpetuating negative stereotypes about women is by not answering certain questions or responding to certain insults”—something that feels particularly necessary, given today’s social and political climate and the fact that Alexa, by virtue of name and voice, is outwardly identified as female. In her interview with the outlet, Zorn further underscored the importance of this alteration by explaining the societal ramifications of not doing so: “We’re trying to do the right thing, which is to help our customers—that’s our first job, but we also want to be really mindful about ensuring that we’re upholding our obligation and opportunity to represent Alexa in a positive way for everyone, especially for girls and for women.”
It should be noted that, while these alternations highlight a clear step forward in the tech industry, the device is far from perfect. Take, for example, Alexa’s reply to the statement “You’re pretty,” in which her reply is a short, though still obviously troublesome, “thank you.” As Refinery29 points out: A child calls Alexa pretty? Seemingly unproblematic. A forty-year-old man does the same? Less so.
Hopefully this step, however small, signifies just one of many on the road to a full transformation in all industries across the board.
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