Siri, Apple's voice assistant (illustration).
-
Geeko
The latest version of iOS will feature two new voices for Siri.
The voice assistant will no longer default to a female voice, as was the case until now in the United States, reports
TechCrunch
.
These changes are already present in beta version 14.5 of Apple's operating system.
Now, users will be able to choose right from their device setup whether they want a female or male voice for Siri.
Selection will be possible in 16 of the languages supported by the device.
Sexist biases linked to voice assistants
Until then, the Siri settings assigned by default to the voice assistant a female voice in the United States and a male in France, recalls
Numerama
.
This change will therefore have an impact on millions of users.
He intervenes at a time when the biases and sexist stereotypes that can lead to the emphasis on a female voice have been studied for years.
As early as 2006, a study published in the
Journal of Applied Social Psychology
showed that the trust placed in a voice assistant varied according to the themes addressed and the gender of the voice.
A male voice was considered more credible on technical matters while a female tone was taken more seriously in the realm of romantic relationships.
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