Citizens want agencies to use AI; they just don’t want it to sound like AI

People have strong preferences when it comes to the voice of their digital assistants, according to Accenture Federal Services.

AFS FedPulse conducted a survey in mid-June asking 500 residents in the DC Metro Area their preference on the voice of a digital assistant used by a government agency. The results indicated the residents’ strong opinions.

The survey showed women are more likely to prefer a digital assistant with a female voice than men, comparing 81 percent versus 50 percent. Along the same lines, 60 percent of participants preferred a young, female, and human sounding voice than other choices.

Millennials were found to prefer voices that sounded younger compared to Baby Boomers with percentages at two-thirds and one-half. However, Baby Boomers were more likely to prefer a voice using a casual tone than the Millennials who participated.

In total, 94 percent of those surveyed preferred an assistant that sounded more human, rather than an assistant with a robotic voice.

The survey has an error margin of +/- 4.4 percent.