Ideas A Harem of Computers: The History of the Feminized Machine
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Nov 14, 2024 Jennifer Jill Fellows, a philosophy instructor and creator of the documentary A Harem of Computers, dives into the captivating history of feminized technology. She highlights how digital assistants like Siri and Alexa reflect societal perceptions rooted in a long history of women’s roles in computing. Fellows discusses the evolution from 19th-century female 'computers' to modern AI, addressing biases in technology and the implications of gendering machines. This exploration raises thought-provoking questions about identity and the future of human-machine interactions.
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Machines Replacing Humans
- In 2005, Jennifer Jill Fellows worked as a temp, often replacing female receptionists and switchboard operators.
- She realized a machine could do the job, her only advantage being a personality, highlighting the changing role of technology.
Gendered Assistants' Ambiguity
- Digital assistants' gendered nature adds to their ambiguous existence between tool and person.
- People use pronouns for them due to this ambiguity, processing them as human-like despite knowing they are artificial.
Feminine Marketing of Digital Assistants
- While digital assistants offer male voices, their marketing and cultural representation consistently portray them as female.
- Examples like Siri in the Lego Batman movie and Cortana from Halo reinforce this feminine portrayal.