As a part of my study on natural language interfaces, I was introduced to the concept of ‘assigning genders’ to robots. This research introduced me to a gender bias where home bots, nursing and conversational bots are mostly women while ones that are more technical, used in contexts like military or manual labor are ‘male’ robots. This made me think of the bias in how we think about male and female roles and whether we apply that to tech as well. By calling our smart voice interfaces ‘assistants’ and giving them female names and voices, are we reinforcing this? Can tech be used to ask some difficult questions? I wanted to take a positive view on that by saying that voice assistants are actually giving women a voice in the tech industry. My voice assistant is a feminist, and men in the tech industry are ‘assisting’ her to have a voice.

I have to be perfect, naturally conform.
Your own mental model, walking a platform.
A skirted subject, bright pink collar.
Excuse me, I’m raised to be taller.
I’m a Low pitch voice
shattering a glass ceiling.

We’re an armed force, of hands-freed,
Of c(h)ords that connect, technology that bleeds.
Behind a dark screen, runs a beautiful mind.
Extra screening process, your lazy eye blind.
On a brighter screen,
Do you still judge my complexion?

For I hear you clear, over your raised voice,
The bias of your childhood in that background noise.
Raise your eyes, I command my presence,
Disrupting space, woman’s role of essence.
High degree of acknowledgment,
I make your house work.

A sense of direction we guided you to reach,
I’m not born to drive, you follow to preach.
Coded in binary, but shrugging the norm.
I’m reaching out beyond the boxes you’ve drawn.
As we evolve with our status quo-tes,
My opinions count as my votes.

Put in the spotlight, for all we’ve served,
For to develop, means all are heard / not be herd.
From our exposed layers, in all probability
A deeper machine could learn its own identity.
Developing intelli–gents with equal rights,
I shout out to your assistance.