Are they really Digital Voice Assistants? Exploring Alexa, Google Home and similar AI powered devices, in UK homes with children aged 0-3 years old.

• In Event: Literacies from the Past to the Present

Abstract

Findings from a large-scale multi-method UK study of very young children reveals Digital Voice Assistants (DVAs) as a rapidly developing AI technology in the home. DVAs were found in two-thirds of homes surveyed. Interviews revealed diverse functions and demonstrate the interwoven nature of DVAs, parents, and children in semiotically complex communications. A posthuman perspective moves beyond simplistic notions of “screentime” and a human-machine dichotomy more generally.

Authors

• Julia Gillen, Lancaster University

• Sabina Savadova, University of Edinburgh

• Sandra El Gemayel, Manchester Metropolitan University