Chapter 3. Confronting Concerns

Abstract

Today’s library and information professionals are confronting gendered voice assistant personas, bias in misunderstood speech, data privacy and security concerns, and inherited inequalities informing algorithms and misinformation. In chapter 3 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 4), “Virtual Voice Assistants,” we address the ways library and information professionals can collaborate to create meaningful change to disrupt bias and inequality in digital assistant technology while safeguarding against privacy and security concerns and moving toward a more ethical and inclusive AI ecosystem.