Many industries are driven by pursuit of client comfort. What “comfort” actually means can be different for everyone, depending on both the industry and the client’s desire. Architecture is among the fields concerned with comfort, and architects must concern themselves with individual definitions of comfort. For some building users, it would mean an open floor plan, while others want to divide space with a many walls as possible. Professionals in the industry of technology also prioritize user comfort, evident by the fact that several tech companies are developing forms of intelligent virtual assistants.
Intelligent virtual assistants, while still relatively new, have gained a foothold in the everyday environment, signifying that tech companies are helping to shape cultural attitudes regarding technology as a means of achieving comfort. Intelligent virtual assistants, also known as IVAs, use artificial intelligence to perform tasks at the request of the user in a way that “emulates human interaction” (Gray). While IVAs are hosted on devices that typically have many functions, the artificial intelligence systems themselves exist to offer a supplemental service to what tech companies already provide for their customers, such as the installation of Apple’s “Siri” on every iPhone. The advertisements produced by tech companies to market IVAs depict how a virtual assistant can improve everyday life without necessitating a discussion of how they work on a mechanical level.
The companies developing IVAs are ones that typically offer other types of services that are vital to participation in the culture. Along with being the territory of well-established tech companies, it is often the case that the IVA is not the actual product. Commonly, they’re a way of enhancing a product already in high demand by consumer, which come with the artificial intelligence pre-installed to optimize work and home life. Easy access to an IVA that comes with a phone or computer reminds users of what they always have at their fingertips on said device.
Like in comfortable architecture, devices that support IVAs are capable of many functions, demonstrating that they can do anything someone needs. In one of the early advertisements for the Amazon Echo, someone asks the crucial question: “What does it do?” before demonstrating how Alexa helps you control your entire home through one device (Amazon). The virtual assistant can answer the user’s questions and connect to all of their cloud-capable devices. Because the IVA has so many functions, it’s completely up to the user which functions it will actually perform. The point of the advertisements is not to tell the user hat they have to do with the devices that host an IVA. Rather, they let the user know what the IVA is there to assist them in whatever they choose to do, setting up a very literal boss-assistant relationship that indicates how much control the user has.
Commercials suppose that not only can the IVA do anything, but that tech companies want to include as many people as possible in their audience. Some commercials even claim that the product they are marketing is “for everyone” (Amazon). IVAs are intended to have broad appeal, because the goal of the tech companies is to profit off of consumer desire for life-improving technology. There is not one specific group being targeted, but there are trends within commercials for IVAs in terms of common types of people depicted. The most common characters featured in commercials are professionals in the 25-40 age bracket (Windows) and entire families (Amazon). Some commercials also depict a broader range of people to show how inclusive the device is (Apple). This exemplifies that anyone could find themselves in need of assistance with fixing a flat tire or finding out the weather. IVAs are shown to be devices that can help as many people as possible. They’re meant to be friendly and useful, because what the tech companies ultimately want is for the public to form a collective positive opinion of the devices they sell which host IVAs.
While simultaneously trying to include a lot of people, the commercials also have to make an effort to avoid alienating people whose highest value is their privacy. Some audience are hesitant to use the technology for this reason, which leads producers of IVAs to put messaging about privacy into their ads. In the video for the product launch of the Google Home, the device is depicted as having a “Mic mute button for privacy” on the back (Google Nest). This may reassure people who have concerns about being recorded, and the direct users are not the only ones benefitting from addressing the issue of privacy. Contact with IVAs is also indirect, because anyone with a smartphone likely has one installed. It’s easy for consumers to worry about surveillance, and by acknowledging that there are precautionary measures in place, the tech companies producing IVAs are centering user comfort. It’s impossible to feel comfortable using a virtual assistant if the users are concerned for their privacy.
Some characteristics inherent to IVAs exemplify the tech companies’ pursuit of user comfort beyond the ad campaigns. One particular expression is that many creators of IVAs chose to give them women’s voices as a default. The virtual assistants are humanized in order to give a stronger impression that they are user-friendly instead of lifeless. Other than distinguishing between humans and robots, the tech companies are also considering gender dynamics between the IVA and the user. In the time that IVAs were first launching, STEM fields were still largely male-dominated. Part of the decision to personify virtual assistants as women may come from upholding a sexist power dynamic of secretaries being traditionally female, while in parallel trying to create a sense of familiarity or connection between users who are women and the IVA. Commercials with children depict IVAs as nurturing by helping with homework and waking them up in the morning (Google). This sets up the virtual assistant to play a role of a teacher, nanny, or mother figure in the household. With so many tech companies electing to utilize omen’s voices, it’s clear that the decision was intentional.
Part of what has helped society adjust to the idea of the IVAs is that they’re intended to be convenient, which is a value that is becoming common in many cultures. Potential users don’t have to take any additional step to access the software other than by purchasing a device that hosts it, and they can learn how to use it from television without having to open their wallets. The “wake words” are so easy to learn and remember that individual IVAs become household names because of ad campaigns. Commercials show that life is better with an IVA because everything has potential to become easier. The virtual assistant’s promise to ensure a comfortable and convenient life is enough to make some people overlook the privacy concerns, achieving the goal of the creators to create an overall positive impression of the IVA.
Technology, architecture, and a growing number of industries adapting to 21st century markets have been turning their focus towards client comfort. This indicates a larger cultural value shift where the user is reported to be the most important thing. More importantly, it shows that industries that produce goods distributed directly to consumers are becoming more aware of the manner in which people want to interact with their material possessions. Consumers should be both excited by and wary of this shift, because an industry’s reasoning for wanting a user to feel comfortable may not be purely for consumer benefit. While there may be a resultant benefit for society as a whole, users of the IVA should be aware of the risks that may come with an apparatus that can learn about you as part of its core functionality. Tech companies are actively trying to instill a sense of comfort in their users, and it may still be too soon to tell what their motivations are behind this act.
Works Cited
Amazon. “Introducing Amazon Echo.” YouTube, uploaded by Smart Home, 5 August 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYtb8RRj5r4.
Apple. “Apple iPhone 4s running Siri – Official TV Commercial.” YouTube, uploaded by Mobilegeeks.de, 21 October 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDDuBE1vPME.
Google. “Google Home Official Ad.” YouTube, uploaded by Peek of the Net, 5 February 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsXedJq1aWE.
Google Nest. “Meet Google Home.” YouTube, 4 October 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0iLfAV0pIg.
Gray, Phil. “The Rise of Intelligent Virtual Assistants.” Interactions, https://www.interactions.com/blog/intelligent-virtual-assistant/rise-intelligent-virtual-assistants/. Accessed 10 October 2021.
Windows. “Cortana: Your Assistant for Life.” YouTube, 9 February 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxrJWSi_IWo.