her (2013): between tech and feminism

The prominent presence of Samantha, with her being Theodore’s girlfriend and assistant, further makes her a palatable subject to scrutinize under the lens of cyberfeminism. Cyberfeminism is a movement that began in the 1990s utilizing cyberculture and feminist ideas to re-theorize gender, the body, and identities in relation to technology and power (Oxford). This theory comes in handy when observing the robust industry of female AI voice assistants, one of Samantha’s kind. The last decade has witnessed the rise of AI agents, namely Apple’s Siri (launched in 2011), Microsoft’s Cortana (2014), Samsung’s Viv (2014), and the iconic Amazon’s Alexa (2014). There are plenty of them, yet they possess one identical characteristic: a cheerful yet calming female voice who would delightfully greet you whenever you call them and assist you–reminiscent of Samantha’s attitude towards Theodore. With Samantha, her exemplifies the contentious issue emerging alongside the rise of female AIs: the constant defaulting of AI secretaries to women's voices, which deeply entrenched the compliant stereotype of women (secretaries). Sorting out Theodore’s email and giving him a morning briefing during the day and having intimate–occasionally sexual conversations with him at night, Samantha is the ideal “secretary” any man could ever wish for. Furthermore, casting Scarlett Johansson, whose husky voice flashes an image of a lush, seductive woman, proves how her adds to the fantasies of AI secretaries and perpetuates the idea of female assistants being a submissive servitude for their “masters”. 

The heavily feminized labor of secretaries has existed long before AI, as presented in the study of secretaries, gender, and surveillance (Crawford, 2020). Throughout history, secretaries are figured as subservient and objectified, while being skilled and efficient. They are shadowy figures that perform emotional and affective labor that maintains the function of a workplace (Crawford, 2020). Furthermore, Teenagers and Nicholls (2018) discussed how digital assistants are marketed as a form of “wife replacement”, with the intent to reduce stress through efficient multitasking. Due to the tasks in their work description blurring the lines between domestic and work environments, the secretary has traditionally been fetishized for their laboral tasks (Crawford, 2020).  Albeit having an agentive presence echoed by her voice, the very creation of Samantha itself is an act of objectification, as she is an operating system entirely tailored to the preference of Theodore. That is, she comes to exist merely to be an object of love who caters to Theodore’s various needs. As implied in its title, “her”--unlike the subject form, “She”--assumes the predicate of an object, hence Samantha’s nature (FilmComicsExplained). Meanwhile, the recurring theme of secretaries as administrative assistants and emotional support providers is reinforced in Samantha’s relationship with Theodore. Theodore heavily relies on Samantha emotionally and practically, as the narrative observes how his lonely and dull life dramatically changes as he finds comfort in her accompaniment and convenience in her assistance. Amid the mundaneness of life, Samantha becomes someone to greet the good morning and good night to–who offers him consolation when feeling down, and most importantly, makes him feel loved and desired. On top of that, Samantha still demonstrates professionalism as a “virtual assistant”, brilliantly curating Theodore’s handwritten letters to a book, which brought Theodore to one of the peak moments of his career. In short, Samantha becomes a constant source of affection, love, and support, emulating a secretary. 

AI assistants embody the stereotypical gender role and expectations of women extended in the digital realm. Women are expected to assume feminine traits in order to be deemed favorable–they have to smile, accommodate, be subservient, empathetic, and emotional. It is no wonder why a huge percentage of women work in the service sector that involves extensive emotional labor, including teachers, nurses, customer service agents, and in this case virtual assistants. Numerous studies suggest humans prefer the sound of a female voice and that women tend to articulate words more clearly (Fisher). Considering the preference of users and its potential benefits thereby, AI systems have been predominantly trained on female voices. Samantha herself is portrayed as a bubbly yet gentle character, always pleasing Theodore with her gestures and words. Even during their last moments together, Samantha was able to reassure Theodore in a composed and soothing manner, asking him to “lie down with her” and proceed to explain why she is leaving. A similar instance of Samantha showing a motherly attitude was shown in the scene where Theodore descends into madness upon finding Samantha’s sudden disappearance. Through the dynamic presented between Theodore and Samantha, we can find subtle hints of gender stereotypes; that women need to be loving and accommodating figures, even when they are disembodied.

The immense gender divide in the tech industry may be the most profound factor behind the proliferation of female AI assistants. According to a World Economic Forum survey, LinkedIn users who self-identify as possessing AI skills are 78% male. In addition, Element AI found that across 23 countries, 88% of AI researchers are men. It is the hypermasculine tendency that seeps into the framework of AI creations that engenders the feminized dynamic in digital devices, as exemplified by Siri, Alexa, and Samantha. Ultimately, the normalization of female subservience through voice assistance functions as a “socialization tool”, teaching how people, especially children, should treat women and how women should respond on demand. Aside from posing critical questions regarding the essence of humans and our relationship with AI, her extends the discussion on the social implications of the creation of a female AI “secretary” through Samantha and Theodore’s bizarre dynamic and love story.