Examining Portrayals of Gender in the Design of AI Voice Assistants

Author

Olivia Fratangelo, CUNY John Jay College

Date of Award

Spring 5-2025

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Department/Program

Philosophy

Language

English

First Advisor or Mentor

Amie A. Macdonald

Abstract

This capstone project provides a theoretical framework for shifting the ways in which we think about and discuss anthropomorphized features of technological products, focusing specifically on applying this framework to the gendered design of AI voice assistants. The goal in providing this framework is to prompt readers to consider how we can think more critically about technology beyond our “preferences” and biases. Our roles as consumers of technology do not have to be passive ones. In fact, the dialectical relationship between humanity and technology makes everyone who contributes to society not just a consumer, but a developer of technology in their own right.

Many prominent AI voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa, Cortana, and Google Assistant have feminine characteristics by default. This phenomenon of anthropomorphizing commercial technology as feminine is not unique to AI voice assistants. The default feminization of technological products is just one of the ways tech companies make these products more appealing to users. This project examines the reasons why implied femininity is believed to make AI voice assistants more desirable, including the complexities of “user preferences” shaped by dominant social dialogues, the historical relationship between women and helping professions, gender inequality and discrimination in the tech field, and patriarchal ideas about the traits and roles associated with certain types of gendered voices. This line of reasoning also raises the question of why AI voices need to be decidedly gendered at all to seem more human. Gender analysis through the lens of technology provides insights into the fluidity and superficiality of gender since technologies like AI voice assistants have no biological sex but can be classified as “masculine” or “feminine” nonetheless, challenging the essentialist argument for the gender binary. This work draws upon examples from a comprehensive literature review including sources in feminist theory, philosophy, law, psychology, technology, and sociology to emphasize the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach to evaluating technology.

Recommended Citation

Fratangelo, Olivia, "Examining Portrayals of Gender in the Design of AI Voice Assistants" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/353