Can computer-generated speech have gender?

The present study examines if and how the of computer-generated speech affects the user's perception of the computer and their conformity to the computer's recommendation. Presented with a series of social-dilemma situations, participants made a decision after listening to the computer's argument for one of the two choices in a 2 (TTS gender: male vs. female) by 2 (participant gender: male vs. female) experiment. Consistent with gender stereotypes, the male-voiced computer exerted greater influence on the user's decision than the female-voiced computer and was perceived to be more socially attractive and trustworthy. More strikingly, gendered synthesized speech triggered social identification processes, such that female subjects conformed more to the female-voiced computer, while males conformed more to the male-voiced computer (controlling for the main effect). Similar identification effects were found on social attractiveness and trustworthiness of the computer.