arXiv:2606.21366v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: This work examines sexualised AI-generated English-speaking voices offered by a popular commercial platform. New technologies may enable sexual empowerment and greater diversity in gender expression, yet toxic masculinity, heteronormativity, and the abuse of women and LGBTQ+ people remain pervasive online. Drawing on a Feminist HCI perspective, we examine how commercial voice AI systems reproduce and circulate particular performances of gender. We conducted a listening experiment with a diverse group of listeners, combining quantitative
The proliferation of commercial AI voice platforms necessitates immediate scrutiny into their societal implications, especially concerning gender representation and potential for harm.
A strategic reader should care because the design choices embedded in AI systems, particularly voice, reflect and reinforce societal biases, impacting user perception, ethical guidelines, and regulatory frameworks for AI development.
This research shifts the focus from purely technical AI development to its socio-cultural impact, highlighting the need for robust ethical considerations and feminist HCI principles in AI design to prevent the amplification of harmful societal norms.
- · Ethical AI developers
- · Feminist HCI researchers
- · AI policy makers
- · Consumer advocacy groups
- · Commercial AI platforms lacking ethical guidelines
- · Developers ignoring gender bias
- · Unregulated AI voice providers
Increased pressure on commercial AI voice providers to audit and revise their synthetic personas for gender bias and harmful representations.
Development of industry standards or regulatory frameworks for ethical AI voice design, potentially including requirements for diverse and unbiased persona options.
A broader societal shift in how gender is encoded and perceived in digital interactions, leading to more inclusive technological ecosystems and challenging traditional gender norms.
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