This is a dark side of AI, something that people don't often think about (not even women themselves). Thank you so much for this article! Brings light on a not so common topic.
Ellen this is such a thoughtful piece, I can’t believe it hadn’t occurred to me sooner! Some really grim facts here. I work in digital marketing and avoid AI like the plague - it’s incredibly intimidating to be met with a technology that threatens to undermine everything you’ve been working towards. The introduction of AI influencers is disturbing on so many levels - never thought I’d be feeling grateful to have grown up comparing myself to photoshopped women in magazines. I can only imagine how distressing it will be for young girls to attempt to morph themselves into an entirely non-existent being to meet an ever changing standard. In this way, AI seems less progressive and more a way to hold women back again. A fantastic read, and so well written!!
Thank you soo much!! and RIGHT! I just can’t see it getting any better, either 🥲 also did not know we were in similar industries, this is delightful, always love having fellow marketers to chat to about these things!!
Ellen, this article was sublime, I especially loved "AI doesn’t, and will never, fix our biases, because it’s too busy beaming them right back at us." I use ChatGPT all the time at work - but I must admit I'd never really thought about the inherent sexism in "Alexa" (and have definitely been known to get wound up with her sometimes...). There is so much pressure on AI companies to do better, I just hope the wild sexism is due to the sudden and very quick proliferation of AI...and that the next phase will be building it better and more rounded, cultured, and non-biased.
I’m exactly the same! I don’t know how to reckon with my guilt but I do also know I couldn’t do my job in the allocated hours without Chatgpt 🙃🙃 and ooooh no, I haven’t listened but I absolutely will, I love a podcast recommendation, thanks!
Also, while you were writing this I was becoming obsessed with your recent WhatsApp piece, so I fear we’re just automatically substack friends now, sorry!
Ellen this was SO good, and a topic I'm embarrassed to say I've not really given enough thought. I read an excellent article in a Cosmo mag years ago about the internet's bias because it's only as good as its teacher. You're so right – if humans did better then the AIs would follow suit! Even something as basic as Amazon giving out warnings whenever Alexa receives a verbal threat, then it's three strikes and a fine or something like that. People would hate it but it sure would stop them speaking to fake women that way (and would probably make them think twice before speaking to real women that way too).
As a side note, have you seen Kimi? It's a really interesting concept and you might enjoy it.
Thank you SO much! I’m always so worried these things are actually just not interesting and I’ve been warped by the tech sector to think so 😂 genuinely, this comment made me so happy. I completely agree! I think this has changed now, but in the early days Alexa would respond to sexist insults or threats of violence with “thank you” (!!!). So even just having Alexa reply with something along the lines of “that’s unacceptable” is progress…
And oooooh, I haven’t seen Kimi but I’ve just googled and it does sound so interesting!! No doubt when I watch it I’ll be coming to you with thoughts 💕
Loved reading this. It reminded me of something I saw on TikTok of someone opining that the future of AI could be “AI girlfriends” or “virtual girlfriends” and another person commented “and chances are the men would STILL abuse the virtual girlfriend, maybe even more so!”
Ahhh! I think it’s such an intense topic. I just think anything that’s going to desensitise someone to using abusive language or aggressive yelling or whatever to women is a bad thing. Even though the AI itself isn’t going to be “hurt”. Super bad vibes. Thanks so much for reading!!
Thank you for bringing that up to our attention. Such a smart post. I hadn’t realized most AI assistants were female… it’s no wonder … I focus so much on what is wrong with the status quo in our society and what sexist systems we’ve been carrying from one decade to an other that I never took the time to realize that our latest inventions need to be checked and watched just as much. Thank you for this <3
Right!! It’s so scary because it’s moving so fast it’s really hard for even the people that know EXACTLY what they’re talking about to keep up 🥲🥲 thanks so much for reading, and for your lovely comment!!
Staying updated with market news is crucial for cryptocurrency trading, as events like regulations, partnerships, or hacks can lead to sharp market movements. Following platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, Telegram, and news sites like CoinTelegraph, CoinDesk, or TheCryptoCity.net helps anticipate these reactions. Additionally, using stop-loss orders protects against large losses, while take-profit orders secure gains when a target is reached. Risk management is key; never invest more than 1%-2% of your capital on a single trade, and diversify your portfolio to reduce risk by spreading your investments across multiple coins.
What a unique and important perspective on the impacts of AI to our society. I ultimately agree with your conclusion which is AI is a tool that perpetuates issues that already exist, and similar to all technological advances, like cars and phones, they can help women/minorities in general due to their accessibility to freedom that potentially societal barriers make it harder for them to have. Like as a young 26 year old woman who struggles with imposter syndrome, ChatGPT can act as a sounding-board with editing, graphic design, idea generation that wouldn't be possible for me considering I don't have the resources to afford to hire anyone like that to help me. I can get ahead way faster than possible before because I have a free resource that will help me grow. It's true what you said, if you are someone who views assistants and secretaries as women, then you probably already have something wrong with you, and it doesn't help that the people who created these tools gave her the name Alexa. But, I also want to acknowledge that there are ways that these advances may also help us progress as a society as well.
wow this was so interesting!! also i didn’t know about AI influencers and i went to the IG page you linked… i would have NEVER known
It’s crazy, right!! Thanks so much for reading!
This is a dark side of AI, something that people don't often think about (not even women themselves). Thank you so much for this article! Brings light on a not so common topic.
Ahh thank you so much for reading!
Ellen this is such a thoughtful piece, I can’t believe it hadn’t occurred to me sooner! Some really grim facts here. I work in digital marketing and avoid AI like the plague - it’s incredibly intimidating to be met with a technology that threatens to undermine everything you’ve been working towards. The introduction of AI influencers is disturbing on so many levels - never thought I’d be feeling grateful to have grown up comparing myself to photoshopped women in magazines. I can only imagine how distressing it will be for young girls to attempt to morph themselves into an entirely non-existent being to meet an ever changing standard. In this way, AI seems less progressive and more a way to hold women back again. A fantastic read, and so well written!!
Thank you soo much!! and RIGHT! I just can’t see it getting any better, either 🥲 also did not know we were in similar industries, this is delightful, always love having fellow marketers to chat to about these things!!
Ellen, this article was sublime, I especially loved "AI doesn’t, and will never, fix our biases, because it’s too busy beaming them right back at us." I use ChatGPT all the time at work - but I must admit I'd never really thought about the inherent sexism in "Alexa" (and have definitely been known to get wound up with her sometimes...). There is so much pressure on AI companies to do better, I just hope the wild sexism is due to the sudden and very quick proliferation of AI...and that the next phase will be building it better and more rounded, cultured, and non-biased.
You may have already listened to it, but I found this podcast about Sam Altman a really interesting listen last week: https://open.spotify.com/episode/01AIOCT627mvJwbKHpLGdM
I’m exactly the same! I don’t know how to reckon with my guilt but I do also know I couldn’t do my job in the allocated hours without Chatgpt 🙃🙃 and ooooh no, I haven’t listened but I absolutely will, I love a podcast recommendation, thanks!
Also, while you were writing this I was becoming obsessed with your recent WhatsApp piece, so I fear we’re just automatically substack friends now, sorry!
Oh, girl. Friendship lovingly ACCEPTED 😂🫶🏻🤗
Ellen this was SO good, and a topic I'm embarrassed to say I've not really given enough thought. I read an excellent article in a Cosmo mag years ago about the internet's bias because it's only as good as its teacher. You're so right – if humans did better then the AIs would follow suit! Even something as basic as Amazon giving out warnings whenever Alexa receives a verbal threat, then it's three strikes and a fine or something like that. People would hate it but it sure would stop them speaking to fake women that way (and would probably make them think twice before speaking to real women that way too).
As a side note, have you seen Kimi? It's a really interesting concept and you might enjoy it.
Thank you SO much! I’m always so worried these things are actually just not interesting and I’ve been warped by the tech sector to think so 😂 genuinely, this comment made me so happy. I completely agree! I think this has changed now, but in the early days Alexa would respond to sexist insults or threats of violence with “thank you” (!!!). So even just having Alexa reply with something along the lines of “that’s unacceptable” is progress…
And oooooh, I haven’t seen Kimi but I’ve just googled and it does sound so interesting!! No doubt when I watch it I’ll be coming to you with thoughts 💕
Loved reading this. It reminded me of something I saw on TikTok of someone opining that the future of AI could be “AI girlfriends” or “virtual girlfriends” and another person commented “and chances are the men would STILL abuse the virtual girlfriend, maybe even more so!”
Ahhh! I think it’s such an intense topic. I just think anything that’s going to desensitise someone to using abusive language or aggressive yelling or whatever to women is a bad thing. Even though the AI itself isn’t going to be “hurt”. Super bad vibes. Thanks so much for reading!!
this is excellent! agree with every point you made!
Thank you so much!! So glad you enjoyed (is enjoyed the right word?? Pretty dark read 🥲🥲). So glad you read, basically!
Thank you for bringing that up to our attention. Such a smart post. I hadn’t realized most AI assistants were female… it’s no wonder … I focus so much on what is wrong with the status quo in our society and what sexist systems we’ve been carrying from one decade to an other that I never took the time to realize that our latest inventions need to be checked and watched just as much. Thank you for this <3
Right!! It’s so scary because it’s moving so fast it’s really hard for even the people that know EXACTLY what they’re talking about to keep up 🥲🥲 thanks so much for reading, and for your lovely comment!!
Such an insightful read! I've never really considered the points you've made, but now I won't be able to unsee them.
Right! It’s such a huge topic, I feel like we could go on and on digging and writing about it. Thank you so much for reading!
Wonderful read. Lots to think on.
And now I really, really want an Archie Goodwin styled AI secretary… Heck, I’d take a Jeeves, even!
Thank you! And hahaha, LOVE
What a great read, super interesting and food for thought
Thank you so much! It took some whittling down!
Staying updated with market news is crucial for cryptocurrency trading, as events like regulations, partnerships, or hacks can lead to sharp market movements. Following platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, Telegram, and news sites like CoinTelegraph, CoinDesk, or TheCryptoCity.net helps anticipate these reactions. Additionally, using stop-loss orders protects against large losses, while take-profit orders secure gains when a target is reached. Risk management is key; never invest more than 1%-2% of your capital on a single trade, and diversify your portfolio to reduce risk by spreading your investments across multiple coins.
What a unique and important perspective on the impacts of AI to our society. I ultimately agree with your conclusion which is AI is a tool that perpetuates issues that already exist, and similar to all technological advances, like cars and phones, they can help women/minorities in general due to their accessibility to freedom that potentially societal barriers make it harder for them to have. Like as a young 26 year old woman who struggles with imposter syndrome, ChatGPT can act as a sounding-board with editing, graphic design, idea generation that wouldn't be possible for me considering I don't have the resources to afford to hire anyone like that to help me. I can get ahead way faster than possible before because I have a free resource that will help me grow. It's true what you said, if you are someone who views assistants and secretaries as women, then you probably already have something wrong with you, and it doesn't help that the people who created these tools gave her the name Alexa. But, I also want to acknowledge that there are ways that these advances may also help us progress as a society as well.