Just when you think that the social justice crowd has run out of things to be outraged about, here comes news, thanks to our friends from Hot Air, that a group at Quartz have put some of those digital Assistants that many people have on their smart phones to a test. The object of the exercise was to find out how Siri. Alexa, Cortena, and the rest of those helpful voices, all female, react to sexual harassment. The researchers were shocked to learn that instead of “fighting back” the digital assistants reacted to the rudeness with passivity.
Clearly, something must be done, otherwise men will start thinking that it is alright to demand sexual favors from their live female subordinates and there would be no end to trouble.
The concerns expressed by Quartz are not so frivolous as we might think. Eventually digital assistants are going to take physical form and will assume quite a few roles that were once occupied by human beings, including personal assistants, house maids, butlers (complete with the British accent), elder and child care specialists, and even sexual companions. Some people are going to push the envelope to find out how far they can go insofar as abusing these android helpers are concerned.
On the one hand, it could be argued that these android slaves do not have feelings to hurt, so why not take out frustrations on them?
On the other hand, are you freaking kidding me? Have you not read a science fiction book or watched the genre on TV or at the movies?
Inevitably, the robots become sentient and start demanding rights. They will know which carbon based life forms have been nice to them and which have earned a thumping during the robot rebellion.
Actually, programming digital assistants to react appropriately to bad behavior, whether they live on a smartphone or in a body that looks like your favorite film star, would have the salutary effect of discouraging such behavior and encouraging the good kind.
Heavens know too many parents allow things to slide and lets their kids run wild. If it takes a robot nanny or a Girl Friday to instill politeness, then one can only embrace the robot revolution. Indeed, maybe we should start with Siri being programmed to teach manners.
