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The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian

Virtual assistant

December 2023

  • Female colleagues using a virtual assistant on an office table

    Pass notes
    Masochist Britain: why is everyone asking Alexa to insult them?

    The annual list of Alexa’s most-asked questions reveals evidence the UK is a nation of masochists, obsessed with football – and farting

June 2023

  • Illustration of a plant with one upright flower with the Second Life logo on it, and one drooping flower with the Meta logo on it

    Who needs the Metaverse? Meet the people still living on Second Life

    Mark Zuckerberg’s grand vision for an online existence has been laughed off as a corporate folly. Meanwhile, those still existing happily on a virtual world launched 20 years ago may be wondering what all the fuss is about …

October 2020

  • Indian women shake hands with a robot during the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2019 in Bangalore, India

    Science Weekly
    Do smart assistants need a feminist reboot? Part 2 – podcast

    Alex Hern examines the consequences of characterising virtual assistants as female and how these devices could be given a feminist reboot

May 2019

  • Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

    I tried to sexually harass Siri, but all she did was give me a polite brush-off

    Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
    Virtual assistants are millennial Stepford Wives. But perhaps there’s an upside for real women, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

April 2019

  • Amazon Echo speaker

    The Audio Long Read
    Smart talking: are our devices threatening our privacy? – podcast

    Millions of us now have virtual assistants, in our homes and our pockets. Even children’s toys are getting smart. But when we talk to them, who is listening?

December 2018

  • Amazon Echo Dots

    Amazon Alexa crashes after Christmas Day overload

    Number of users plugging in products using virtual assistant causes outage in Europe

May 2018

  • An Amazon Echo Plus is seen in an Amazon ‘experience centre’ in Vallejo, California, U.S., May 8, 2018. Picture taken May 8, 2018. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage

    Alexa, what does the future hold? A dystopia where gadgets spy on us

    Nicholas Lezard
    Stories of Amazon Echo malfunctioning are creepy, but it seems that soon our technology is going to be in control of us, says Guardian critic Nicholas Lezard
  • First Direct call centre in Leeds

    Rise of robots threatens to terminate the UK call-centre workforce

    It is feared that almost 46,000 jobs in customer support will disappear before 2021 as firms embrace automation
  • Domination seems a long way off … Brett the Robot features in The Future Starts Here.

    Drunken droids and solar-powered shirts: what the smarthome will look like

    Can a robot fold towels? Could your toaster turn against you? And will Amazon know when you’re hungry and drone-deliver a Chinese takeaway directly to your mouth? Find out as we step into the home of the future

February 2018

  • Amazon Echo Dot

    Hey Alexa, is it true a TV advert made Amazon Echo order cat food?

    Advertising watchdog rejects Echo Dot owner’s complaint that TV spot was irresponsible

December 2017

  • Amazon’s Echo, with built-in virtual assistant, Alexa.

    Pass notes
    Hey Alexa, is it true you’re a lefty feminist?

    Amazon’s virtual assistant is winding up the US far-right with her answers to questions on feminism and the Black Lives Matter movement

November 2017

  • Teen (16-17) girl lying on bed using smartphone<br>GettyImages-523130512

    Siri is my agony aunt – but is telling big tech my innermost feelings a bad idea?

    People are increasingly using virtual assistants as their closest confidantes and tech companies are responding. But are we telling them too much?

September 2017

  • Cate Blanchett

    NDIA denies Cate Blanchett-voiced 'Nadia' virtual assistant is in doubt

  • Siri on the iPhone 4S

    Spam filter
    Siri heads for a shake-up in the 'iPhone 8'

June 2017

  • Internet OF Things illustration

    The long read
    Rise of the machines: who is the ‘internet of things’ good for?

    The long read: Interconnected technology is now an inescapable reality – ordering our shopping, monitoring our cities and sucking up vast amounts of data along the way. The promise is that it will benefit us all – but how can it?

May 2017

  • Amazon Fire 7 tablet

    Amazon launches new £50 and £80 Fire tablets with Alexa digital assistant

    Amazon hopes its low-cost, feature-rich Fire 7 and HD 8 tablets continue to buck market trend thanks to improved battery life, screen and storage
  • Google Home review

    Google Home review: the smart speaker that answers almost any question

    Sleek, intelligent and attractive, new Google voice-controlled device can play music, control other connected objects and give you a personalised briefing on your day
  • Amazon Echo Show Kitchen Counter

    Amazon launches Echo Show smart speaker with touchscreen and video calling

    New voice-controlled speaker with a 7in screen hopes to keep Amazon ahead of Google and Microsoft in fight for home assistant supremacy

April 2017

  • Echo Look, Closet Shelf

    Amazon unveils Echo Look, a selfie camera to help you choose what to wear

  • robot working in office

    University leadership
    The automated university: bots and drones amid the dreaming spires

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