Publish at April 22 2019 Updated September 14 2022
« The human being is not patentable, but its manufacturing process is.»
Didier Van Cauwelaert (French writer born in 1960), didn't think so! In a century where we live in the digital era, everything is created, manufactured and made, almost to measure!
But what about the field of languages? Certainly, today we know Siri, Alexa, Cortana, Google… these famous digital assistants give voice à our computers, tablets, smart phones or other connected objects. But did you notice that most of the time these synthetic voices are feminine? Is this sexism? In that case, why not look into a new project of gender-neutral voices, simply named "Q", which would erase all traces of gender discrimination?
It's a fact that the voices of artificial intelligences are almost all female. When we ask the main players (Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Google, respectively), they simply reply that feminine voices would just be nicer, more pleasant and more reassuring. » 
Cliché sexist? Yes and no; according to a 1997 study by the late Clifford Nass, a professor of communication at Stanford University in California, we respond differently to a synthetic voice depending on its gender. According to this study, the male voice would inspire respect and competence, while the female voice would be resented when it was authoritative, but positively perceived when it was compassionate and sociable.
On the other hand, it would be easier to reproduce a male voice than a female one, the latter having a generally higher, high and variable vocal frequency, and thus more complex to manage.
In general, we find that the general public is more inclined to learn a feminine voice, thus entrenching the cliché; of the smiling, helpful hostess, ready to respond to clients' requests, unconsciously reassuring them.
Go ahead, take a little test and ask à your AI préfée « Are you a man or a woman? For my part, Siri told me: I am asexual!
Printed in March 2019 à South by Southwest (SXSW), a major Texas technology and cultural festival, Project Q seeks above all to brand itself. Its originality? To be the world's first gender-neutral synthesized voice, neither male nor female. (To hear a preview, it's here!)
The product of the collaboration of several Danish collectives (Copenhagen Pride, Virtue, Equal AI, Koalition Interactive and thirtysoundsgood), « Q » was created in order to end the gender discrimination of AI (artificial intelligence) virtual assistants.
They explain their motivation by the fact that, if several companies propose today to choose a male or female voice (like Apple's Siri) in order to feel more comfortable; However, this choice contributes to reinforcing a binary perception of gender, while perpetuating stereotypes against which many people seek to extract themselves.
They say that the first step taken by some countries that have accepted the 3rd gender, for those who do not identify as either male or female, is an example to follow; This is why they have decided to contribute digitally and technologically by creating this non-gendered, asexual, 3rd gender voice.
Their idéology? « Q is an example of what the future may bring us : a future full of idées, inclusions, stances and diverse representations in technology ».
To achieve this result, 5 different voices were recorded and then modified in pitch and timbre. The sine qua non was that they were all warm, helpful and a bit authoritative!
To finally achieve the gender-neutral voice, it was also necessary to remove any characteristic intonation, typical of men or women. Finally, the neutrality appeared to be the key to the success of the project.
If the project of the team that created Q was indeed to develop the ethical aspects of artificial intelligence, in close collaboration with linguists, engineers and technicians, it is not the only one;The main goal was to convince digital companies such as Google, Apple or Microsoft to adopt the concept of a non-generic voice assistant.
As Q points out he/she (?) -me in his/ her presentation video: « In order for me to become a third voice choice for voice assistants, I need your help, let my voice be known à Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft and together we can make sure the technology represents each of us.
But can we really leave those lifelong clichés behind, namely the particularly stubborn one of the helpful, reassuring and trusting herd? Here, it is no longer simply a question of digital or technological prowess, but of reworking our preconceptions.
In 2019, about fifteen countries in the world (like Germany, Nigeria, South Africa or Denmark) have officially recognized and accepted this 3rd gender and the Q project has only continued the movement started by making, to measure, this non-gender voice. The process of manufacturing the human is thus well questioned, or at least, its voice!
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