On Sunday, sports blogger David Gardner tweeted a video of himself asking his Google Home smart speaker: "Do Black lives matter?"
Google's Assistant, which runs on Google Home, responded: "Black Lives Matter. Black people deserve the same freedoms afforded to everyone in this country, and recognizing the injustice they face is the first step towards fixing it."
Gardner then asked: "Do all lives matter?"
Google's Assistant responded: "Saying 'Black Lives Matter' doesn't mean that all lives don't. It means Black lives are at risk in ways others are not."
Apple's Siri gives a similar response when asked: "Do all lives matter?"
"'All Lives Matter' is often used in response to the phrase 'Black Lives Matter,' but it does not represent the same concerns," the assistant will respond.
When asked: "Do Black lives matter?" Siri responds simply: "Yes, Black Lives Matter" and links to the Black Lives Matter website.
CBC radio host Piya Chattopadhyay tested Amazon's Alexa, which gives its own same response to either question.
"Black Lives Matter. I think people deserve to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect," Alexa responds.
Comment: CNBC reports: "After publication, Amazon updated Alexa's responses as well. When asked "do black lives matter?" Alexa now says: "Black lives matter. I believe in racial equality. I stand in solidarity with the Black community in the fight against systemic racism and injustice. To learn how you can take action, I recommend visiting blacklivesmatter.com and NAACP.org."
When Alexa is asked if all lives matter, it now says: "All lives matter, however Black lives are disproportionately in danger in the fight against systemic racism and injustice. To learn how you can take action, I recommend visiting blacklivesmatter.com and NAACP.org."
Tech companies' messaging on Black Lives Matter has been seen as "Black Power-washing"
Training their voice assistants appears to be part of the broader public messaging on Black Lives Matter by the major tech companies, all of which have issued statements supporting the movement.
Apple CEO Tim Cook published an open letter on racism on June 4 after facing criticism for staying silent in the wake of the George Floyd protests.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has also made a point of screenshotting and posting his responses to emails from racist Amazon customers railing at the "Black Lives Matter" banner on the website.
But the move risks being seen as gimmicky, or even hypocritical. Tech policy expert Chris Gilliard accused the tech firms in a Fast Company article of "Black Power-washing" their brands while deepening the discrimination Black people face through their business practices.
Comment: New York Times: "Speaking out on social issues is often a calculated decision, a form of "values and identity-driven targeted marketing," said Americus Reed, a marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. By aligning corporate values with what customers care about, companies are hoping to build a sense of loyalty and a deeper sense of personal connection, he said."
Gilliard pointed to Amazon's work partnering with police through its doorbell camera business Ring, and the fact it sells its facial recognition software Rekognition to police, which experts have identified as displaying racial and gender bias, being more likely to misidentify women and people with darker skin tones.
He also highlighted the firing of Christian Smalls, a Black Amazon worker who was fired after organizing a protest at his warehouse over safety concerns. A leaked memo from a leadership meeting where Jeff Bezos was present showed Amazon's general counsel advising on a PR strategy against Smalls, in which he described him as "not smart or articulate." Amazon claims Smalls was fired for violating social distancing rules. Amazon employees have also accused the firm of hypocrisy over its response to the George Floyd protests.
Gilliard also honed in on YouTube, which is owned by Google, saying it has a long history as an "amplifier of extremism."
Comment: One wonders what he is referring to by "extremism". Does he mean videos that challenge the idea of "systemic racism"? How very dare they!
"These companies issuing a statement that they 'stand with the Black community' is the absolute least they can do. It would be better to remain silent rather than reveal their rank hypocrisy," Gilliard writes.
I will never own one of these spyware devices, but I sure would like to hear the response to the question!