Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa, has come under fire for its alleged sexism after failing to respond to a question about the Lionesses’ World Cup semi-final. Dr. Joanne Rodda, a British academic, asked Alexa for the result of the match between England and Australia, which England won 3-1. However, Alexa, which was only familiar with the men’s game, was unable to provide the answer. This incident highlights the embedded sexism in football, even in AI algorithms.
Dr. Rodda was only able to get the correct answer from Alexa when she specifically mentioned women’s football. She expressed her disappointment that it took so long for Alexa to recognize women’s World Cup football as “football.” Additionally, Dr. Rodda encountered difficulties in obtaining information about the Women’s Super League, further highlighting the lack of inclusivity and recognition for women’s football.
Amazon admitted that the mistake was an “error” but did not specify the cause. The company assured that Alexa would improve its learning capabilities over time. It is worth noting that Amazon has already faced accusations of sexism from the UN, which argued that using a female voice for AI systems reinforces gender biases.
Taking action to address these concerns, Amazon introduced a male voice option for its smart speakers, allowing users to choose between a male or female voice. They also added the wake word “Ziggy” as an alternative to the existing options, giving users more flexibility in their interactions with Alexa. However, Amazon recently retired its celebrity voices for smart speakers, including Samuel L. Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Melissa McCarthy.
In conclusion, the incident involving Alexa’s inability to provide the result of the Lionesses’ World Cup semi-final sheds light on the sexism prevalent in AI algorithms. While Amazon has made some efforts to address these concerns, there is still work to be done to achieve true gender diversity and inclusivity in smart assistant technologies.
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