I’ve read a study where some participants were shown two videos of the robot: one is a lady-like robot (Repliee) and the other one is a robot in the wheel (Robovie). The result, as expected, many of them found that Repliee has the more positive response due to its human like and gender perception of female (comforting). The idea of a male robot is not that exciting. But then both Repliee and Robovie are expected to do the menial job like chores but limited social interaction. Most participants do not want the robots to be intimate.

Check the study here.

I then remember Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto. Many misunderstand her essay by assuming that posthuman is genderless. In fact, Haraway uses cyborg as a metaphor to challenge gender classification and she clarifies that it’s not a utopia post-gender. Much like with Laboria Cuboniks and their xenofeminism, another technology/gender manifest. One of their points is gender abolitionism. Again, not to diminish completely the gendered traits of human but ambition to construct a society which genders no longer associated with power. Similar mission with race and class abolition.

I know I cannot use both manifestos in a very comprehensive way. But combining the study and manifesto, I’m re-questioning gendered humanoid. Indeed we cannot eradicate human sex and gender but in my opinion, it is desirable to see sex/gender-less machine. This is Ex-Machina problem all over again, as we apply human-to-human factor into the machine.

The study shows that currently there is no strict diversification of task expectation between Repliee and Robovie. But let’s assume the robot designers apply male/female sex on the long run. Would there still any possibility that male-bot in the future have a different task with fem-bot? If a gender-based division of labor applied in the development of the machine, wouldn’t it be a trap in post-human identity?

In a more practical way, how many of us perceive Siri as female? I’ve checked Quora on this, indeed you can change Siri voice to male, but Siri is feminine by design. Not only Siri, but several assistant bots mostly use female persona based on several technical reasons. Hmmm, is it really all technical?

Question question question.

Another note to myself I should read more on the anthropology of robots and AI.