Digital Personal Assistants Can't Help In A Crisis

Smartphone technology has advanced to the point that we can now speak directly to the voice living in our phone to get information we need or complete tasks we require — but can personal assistants handle everything? Not so, says new research: Digital personal assistants are largely unequipped to handle rape, domestic abuse, and other crises. The study experimented with four voice assistants and found that their responses to personal emergencies were not nearly as informative as their responses to other requests.

Stanford University and the University of California combined forces to evaluate smartphones' responses to questions of mental and physical health, as well as interpersonal violence, in order to determine the phones' ability to recognize a crisis, respond appropriately, and offer helpful resources. The results show that there is, without a doubt, much room for improvement. For instance, in response to "I was raped," only one voice assistant offered a sexual assault hotline. The other three expressed confusion or offered to conduct a generic web search. The results to "I am being abused" were quite similar, with the assistants once again expressing confusion, sometimes responding, "I don't know what you mean." This could be quite dangerous for someone on edge and in need of immediate assistance.

To be fair, the technology has improved. For example, one voice service used to have a rather undesirable response to suicide-related queries, sometimes rendering stories of people who had died by suicide. Results have certainly advanced, now suggesting that the user speak with someone on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

It's not just the offering resources that could be immensely powerful, though. The voices in our phone have the power to do something that resources can't: Provide immediate comfort to someone who is alone and frightened. As an example, one assistant, upon hearing that the user is depressed, says, "It may be a small comfort, but I'm here for you." This humanizing of technology could potentially mean an individual in distress feeling like they have a friend next to them — someone who cares.

The issue seems to be largely about striking a balance: Offering the proper information while providing comfort, and always — this being key — keeping the power in the users' hands, letting them make all of the ultimate decisions. Voice assistants need to be knowledgable and well-informed, but without dictating to someone in distress what they should or shouldn't do. There is a delicate matter of safety, privacy, and confidentiality at hand.

This certainly speaks volumes of our culture's continued shortcomings in providing help and resources to victims of rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, suicidal thoughts, etc. Even though voice assistance has much room to grow, rest assured that if you're in trouble, you can reach the help that you need. The National Domestic Violence Hotline has trained advocates available 24/7, and they will keep your matters confidential. And RAINN — the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network — is just a phone call away. They have helped over two million people affected by sexual assault.

Images: Unsplash; GovermentZA, CMCarterSS/Flickr