How loyal is your Alexa?: Imagining a Respectful Smart Assistant

Abstract

Smart assistants are the current must-have device in the home. Currently available products do little to respect the autonomy and privacy of end users, but it doesn't have to be this way. My research explores a speculative 'respectful' assistant which is more socially aware, and treats its users in a more nuanced way than occurs at present. Mixing computer science, philosophy, and art, the project uses a combination of user studies and technical comparison to discover a potential future for the smart digital assistant.