When creating conversational agents, designers have to make decisions about the way the agents present themselves. In this position paper, we identify and synthesize ethical dilemmas that conversational interface designers and researchers face around gender of conversational agents. First, we identify three layers that cause tension in designing conversational agents’ gender: (i) interactional qualities; (ii) goal-orientation; and (iii) societal issues. We then argue that conversational agent designers and re- searchers can navigate this problem space by comparing two ethical frameworks: a utilitarian perspective and a dialogical ethics perspective. Finally, we argue that dialogical ethics can be a balanced, ethical lens that can help conversational agent designers and researchers make design decisions about the gender of an agent@en

Studies have shown that feminine chatbots are perceived as warmer (e.g., likable, friendly) and imbue more humanness to a machine than masculine or gender-androgynous chatbots. As chatbots are being widely deployed in various empathic contexts (e.g., revealing sensitive personal information or facilitating charity donations), how to design the gender of chatbots remains a critical question in the empathic design community. Should designers assign feminine identities to chatbots to improve empathic reactions? In this position paper, we explore the tension between designing empathic agents and the gender assignment of chatbots and how they can relate to the design of the metaphor of the chatbots. After analyzing the problem, we discuss the possible design strategy and their trade-offs. We conclude with possible future work directions that could inform CA gender design that elicits user empathy.

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