Can I get a female Google Assistant?

Virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant have become increasingly common in recent years. However, these assistants have frequently launched with female voices as the default option. This has reinforced gender biases and the perception of women’s voices as helpers and assistants rather than authority figures.

The history of technology is filled with examples of gender bias that negatively impacted women’s voices, from early telephones that failed to transmit women’s vocal ranges to more recent speech recognition systems that struggled with higher-pitched voices. As voice technology has advanced, the choice to gender assistants female by default has carried on problematic assumptions.

Google Assistant’s Default Voice

The default voice for Google Assistant is designed to be gender-neutral. According to Google, the default voice was created using a technique called WaveNet that allowed them to capture entire phrases and sentences in natural conversation. This method results in a more human sounding voice without discernible gender traits [1]. Rather than being coded as overtly male or female, the default voice aims to sound assistant-like with a casual, friendly personality.

Google intentionally moved away from assigning a specific gender to the Assistant’s default voice. The goal is to have a voice that sounds more inclusive and accessible for all users. Making the voice genderless helps avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes that can come with having a prominently male or female tone.

Changing Google Assistant’s Voice

The default voice for Google Assistant is a male voice, but you can easily change it to one of several female voice options. Here are the steps to change your Google Assistant’s voice to a female voice:

1. Open the Google Assistant app on your Android phone or tablet.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top right corner.
3. Tap Settings.
4. Tap Assistant.
5. Tap Assistant voice.
6. Under “Assistant voice”, you will see different female voice options like English (United States) – Pink, English (Australia), Deutsch, Français (France), etc. Tap on the female voice you want to use.
7. You will get a preview of what that voice sounds like. Tap “Done” if you want to confirm that voice.

And that’s it! Google Assistant will now start using the female voice you selected. You can repeat these steps at any time to change to a different female voice or back to the default male voice.

Source: Google Assistant – Guides & Tutorials

Available Female Voices

Google Assistant offers several female voice options to choose from. According to Google’s support page, the available female voices include:

Red – Red has a cheerful and upbeat voice.

Orange – Orange has a calm and relaxing voice.

Yellow – Yellow has a witty and humorous personality.

Green – Green has a friendly and casual way of speaking.

Blue – Blue has a cool and professional style.

Violet – Violet has a soft-spoken and caring voice.

There are also some celebrity female voice options available, such as Issa Rae, John Legend and Jane Lynch. These add some fun and personality to Google Assistant with recognizable voices. However, they are only available in English at this time.

So in summary, users have a nice selection of distinct female voices to choose from, each with their own unique style and personality to liven up the Google Assistant experience.

Considerations in Choosing a Voice

When choosing a voice for a voice assistant like Google Assistant, it’s important to consider things beyond just personal preference. The default female voice that many assistants have reflects historical gender stereotypes and may promote problematic biases. Studies have shown that the female gendering of voice assistants leads to issues with sexual harassment of the AI, reinforces the idea that assistants are subservient, and perpetuates old-fashioned gender roles (Danielescu, 2020).

To promote inclusiveness, companies are increasingly offering options for male or gender-neutral voices. However, the goal should not just be a wider array of voices, but also avoiding problematic biases and assumptions in how the voices are portrayed. Research has found that both male and female voices can personify stereotypes if crafted without an inclusive mindset (Schumacher, 2022).

The ideal approach is to design voice assistants that allow for personalization and choice, without prescribing a gender or personality that could exclude users. With thoughtful implementation, voice assistants can move beyond historical gender biases and instead be tools that empower all users.

Voice and Personality

A person’s voice can significantly affect how they are perceived by others. Gender stereotypes associated with voices have been shown to influence social judgments and impressions.

Studies show that listeners readily infer personality traits based solely on hearing someone’s voice. Just from vocal cues alone, people will make assumptions about a speaker’s warmth, competence, intelligence, trustworthiness and other attributes (Roche et al., 2023).

There is a tendency to view feminine voices as warmer but less competent, and masculine voices as colder but more capable. However, the perceived femininity or masculinity of a voice, independent of biological sex, is a significant predictor of personality perception (Mullennix et al., 1995).

Research shows that first impressions emerge quite rapidly from vocal cues within the first second of hearing someone speak. This demonstrates how quickly and automatically people infer personality from voices (Lavan et al., 2022).

Accessibility

Providing options for different voices can improve accessibility and inclusiveness for many users. As discussed in this article on voice assistants and accessibility from SoundHound, having voices that represent diverse genders, ages, accents and personality types allows technology to be more welcoming and empowering for people with visual impairments, motor impairments, dyslexia or other needs.

For example, some users may find a female voice more soothing or easier to understand. Others, especially seniors and people with cognitive decline or dementia, may respond better to a voice that sounds more youthful. And certain regional accents may be preferable for users for whom English is a second language.

As pointed out in this article from Washington University in St. Louis on deepfake technology, while synthesized voices open up possibilities, user choice and control are imperative. People’s voices are deeply personal and should not be co-opted without consent. Responsible voice providers allow transparency and options.

Default Settings

Google Assistant uses a default voice that is genderless and aims to sound neutral. This was an intentional choice by Google to avoid prescribing a gender to the Assistant that could feel limiting or exclusionary.

The default voice was crafted to sound natural but not distinctly male or female. The goal is for the Assistant’s default voice to be inclusive and accessible to all users regardless of gender.

According to Google, having a genderless voice helps reinforce that the Assistant is an AI rather than a person. The neutral tone allows users to imagine the Assistant’s personality however they prefer, without pushing any preconceptions.

User Choice and Customization

Google allows users a high degree of choice and control when it comes to selecting their preferred Assistant voice. Users can choose from a variety of male and female voices that suit their tastes. Research shows that user preference is an important factor in virtual assistant adoption and satisfaction.

The ability to customize the Assistant’s voice helps make the experience feel more personalized. As noted in a Medium article, personalization is a key trend for the future of AI assistants. Letting users select their preferred voice gives them more control over the experience.

Furthermore, tailored interactions enabled by AI can help improve customer satisfaction, as discussed in this article. Allowing choice in the assistant voice aligns with a personalized approach.

Overall, user customization of the Google Assistant voice enables an experience that feels more tailored and enjoyable for each individual user.

Conclusion

In summary, Google Assistant’s default voice is genderless, but you can choose from a variety of female voice options if you prefer interacting with a female persona. The available voices aim to sound natural, with unique tones and inflections. Consider which personality best suits your needs. While the default voice provides a consistent experience across devices, choosing a female voice allows you to customize Google Assistant to your tastes. Just remember that the underlying AI remains the same. In the end, whether you opt for the default or a female voice, Google Assistant strives to be helpful, responsive, and intuitive.