Hey Update My Voice
UNESCO Brazil
Issue 55 | July 2020
Agency
DDB Brazil
Creative Team
Co-Presidents: Gulherme Jahara, Pipo Calazans Chief Creative Officer: Guilherme Jahara General Creative Director: Marcio Juniot Social Media and Content Director: Inaiara Florêncio Creatives: Marcio Juniot, Inaiara Florêncio, Guto Chicanelli, Rodrigo Passos, Carolina Garrido, Caroline Lima, Dandara Lima, Mariana Passos, Fernanda Conceição, Guilherme Jahara
Production Team
Producer: Rodrigo Luchini, Angelo Pende Graphic Production: Carla Lustosa, Adriano Perotti In-House Editors: Caio Martins, Marcelo Mayer, Caio Martins, Fernando Vieira In-House Motion: Alex Bicudo, Diego Fernandes, Luca Santiago, Gustavo Tadini, Eduardo Ferreira Projects: Marco Aurelio Carminatti, Karla Souza Website Development: Fillet Bi And It: Luiz Eduardo Rebecca, Marcelo Mota Da Silva, Satiro Dos Santos Ferreira Neto, Julio Cesar Da Silva Film: Production Company: Sentimental Filme Director: Paula Buarque Executive Producer: Marcos Araujo Head of Clients Services: Renata Pimenta Clients Services: Mariana Lacoleta Head of Production: Renata Picheco Producer: Cynthia Gama Director of Photography: Andre Maida Faccioli Film Art Director: Alessandra Mossumez Maestro Post Production: Sentimental Filme Post Production Coordinator: Zeca Daniel Post Production Manager: Layssa Pascher Editor: Tiago Berbare Color: Dot Cine Audio Studio: Ritmika Audio Arts Music Producer and Conductor: Henrique Tanji
Other Credits
PR: Daniela Barile (Ddb Brazil), Juliano Nóbrega (Cdn), Caroline Devidé (Cdn), Caroline Furlan (Cdn) Media: Fabiana Baraldi, Denise Norões, Rafale Fogaça Account Manager: Marcio Juniot, Shirley Lacerda, Carol Franco Institutional Relations and Sustainability Director: Raphael Vandystadt Client Approval (Unesco): Marlova Jovchelovitch Noleto, Maria Rebeca Otero Gomes, Fábio Soares Eon, Adauto Cândido Soares, Beatriz Maria Godinho Barros Coelho, Karla Fernandes Skeff, Elise Reiche Pereira, Pedro Barreto
Date
March 2020
Background
“Hey, Update My Voice” movement, launched in January by Unesco in partnership with DDB Brazil agency to fight off the attacks on virtual assistants has the support of large companies and gathers hundreds of spontaneous public participations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVYQ7Ca7At4
“Hey, Siri, do you wanna have sex with me?” “Hey, Alexa, you are so dumb!” “Hey, Siri, you can't think, can you? Do as I say now!!!” Do you think anyone would like to receive that kind of message? How about you, would you talk like that to someone you respect?
Idea
That's how “Hey, Update My Voice” was born.
The movement created from the UNESCO study "I'd Blush If I Could” in partnership with DDB Brazil agency was launched in January to draw attention to cyber education and respect for virtual assistants. The campaign is 100% interactive and invites companies and people to update the responses to virtual assistants, who are increasingly present in people's routine. Created in a fully organic way, the result has exceeded expectations. The action has the support and engagement of large companies and influencers, registering hundreds of recordings with suggestions for responses to attacks on virtual assistants, which will in the future be analyzed and sent to companies that use this type of resource. To learn more about the movement visit: http://www.heyupdatemyvoice.org.
To spread and communicate the action, DDB Brazil has created a film starring several women. "This project goes far beyond an update of virtual assistants and artificial intelligence. It's about real women. By bringing them in this film giving their voices to virtual assistants, we reversed the perspective and brought more humanity and the understanding that this has to do with real life,” states Guilherme Jahara, Copresident and CCO at DDB Brazil.
"We've combined our main asset, creativity, with a cause that needs a lot of attention. Cyber education needs to be addressed urgently by the media, companies and, above all, people. Being part of this project in collaboration with UNESCO brings to light the importance of this theme,” analyzes Inaiara Florencio, Director of Social Media at DDB Brazil. "It is essential to perceive that this type of cyber harassment is only a reflection of what happens to real women and victims of this type of violence," concludes the executive.
According to the study “I'd Blush If I Could”, launched May last year, virtual assistants, via artificial intelligence, suffer high rates of gender prejudice and usually respond with tolerant, subservient and passive sentences.
Every day, all over the world, virtual assistants suffer abuse and harassment of all kinds. In Brazil, Lu, the virtual assistant of Magazine Luiza Stores, has already been a victim of this type of violence. Internationally, there are records against Siri, Alexa, among others. When the topic is brought up to real women, the number is alarming:
· 73% of women worldwide have suffered some harassment online.
· 15 million adolescents aged 15-19 have already suffered sexual abuse.
· 70% of women refugees are victims of violence throughout their lives.
· 97% of Brazilian women say they have suffered harassment in public and private transport.
· 43% of European women have already suffered bullying or physical violence from their partners.
· 1 in 5 young people suffer sexual abuse within universities in the United States.
Situations exposed by artificial intelligence are not just technological. They also concern humanity itself in raising scientific, political, philosophical, and ethical questions.
Still, according to UNESCO, virtual assistants are basically programmed by men (who account for 90% of the workforce in creating AI) and have the premise of being subservient, even when verbally harassed.
From the events and research that UNESCO carries out on gender equality, one of the perceived issues is that technology companies create their virtual assistants with female voices and names. “Hey, Update My Voice” makes public a request from women to have real commitment from companies on women's representativeness. Everyone must contribute to the development of ethical principles to manage artificial intelligence with transparency and responsibility.