Ambivalent encounters : A feminist exploration of human and feminised AI humanoid relations

Abstract: Machines encoded with artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly having influence in human social realms. Rapid technological advances have propelled encounters between humans and embodied AI humanoids from a subject of science fiction to a real-world phenomenon. Thus, their embodiments are socially and culturally significant and pertinent for feminist investigation. In this thesis, I employ reflexive thematic analysis and a feminist theoretical perspective focused on affect and emotion to examine human and machine relationships in the context of gender, power, and society. The topic is explored using three different case studies that all focus on interactions between humans and feminised AI humanoids. The analysis shows that gender is a crucial factor in the humanisation of the AI embodiment. By playing on the idea that machines transcend their machinic status through designated purposes, creators appeal to ambivalence in human and machine encounters. As interactive AI and social robots continue to integrate into human social contexts, it is important to consider the underlying structures and social implications of their production and representation.