Alexa, are you male or female? ‘Sexist’ virtual assistants go gender-neutral

Many people start thinking about a smart home when they get a voice-activated speaker such as Amazon

LONDON: Barking orders at a digital device that responds in a woman’s voice can reinforce sexist stereotypes, according to academics and creatives who launched the first gender-neutral artificial intelligence voice on March 11. 

Responding to such concerns, a Denmark-based team has created a voice nicknamed Q that was presented at the South by Southwest (SXSW) creative festival in Texas and is designed to be perceived as neither male or female.