为AI而生——“智伴爸爸”研发工程师的多元男性气质

Shaped by AI:The Multiple Masculinities of“Zhiban Dad”

自2016年以来,中国内地市场涌现了大量的儿童陪伴机器人,这些机器人作为育儿类家庭智能媒介迅速地进入中国的千家万户。目前,有关研究大多聚焦机器人本身的性别,而对于研发机器人的人以及研发过程中人与技术的复杂关系还缺乏深入细致的讨论。为了调查AI技术与性别的相互形塑,本文作者在国内某知名科技公司进行了为期六个月的民族志,亲身参与了一款儿童陪伴机器人的研发。研究发现,儿童陪伴机器人技术是男性化的,这一技术的男性气质也让研发者“智伴爸爸”加深了“做主”的男性气质。但是,技术的男性化在技术落地过程中也会发生转变,为了满足用户的“育儿”需求,感性化的女性气质和母职经验被需要,这也促使“智伴爸爸”在技术实践中作出男性气质“妥协”。“智伴爸爸”多元男性气质的出现表明,技术与性别不是本质主义的,它们在实践中相互形塑。所谓“男性化的AI技术”并不会让男性技术精英自然而然地完成支配地位的延续和巩固。在本研究中,研发工程师“智伴爸爸”的男性气质调整也为机器人的性别协商提供了一定的机会。总之,厘清研发者的男性气质生成机制有助于理解当下儿童陪伴机器人的男性性别与多元男性气质。

Since 2016,a large number of children companion robots have emerged in the Chinese mainland market,and these robots have entered thousands of families in China as childcare domestic smart media.At present,most of the research focuses on the gender of the robot,and there is a lack of in-depth and detailed discussions on the people who produce robots,as well as the complex relationship between people and technology in the production process.In order to deeply explore the AI technology and human gender mutual shaping,a six-month ethnography in a well-known technology company was conducted to investigate.Authors of this paper have personally participated in the development of a children companion robot.The study found that,the technology of children companion robot is masculine,and the masculinity of this technology also consolidates the“hegemony”masculinity of the“Zhiban Dad”.However,the masculinity of technology will also change in the process of technology implementation.In order to meet users’needs for“parenting”,perceptual femininity and personal experience of motherhood are needed,which also urges“Zhiban Dad”to actively make a“compromise”of masculinity in technical practice.The emergence of masculinities shows that technology and gender are not essentialism,they shape each other in practice.The masculinity adjustment of“Zhiban Dad”also provides an opportunity for the appearance of negotiable gender robots.In short,clarifying the masculinities generation mechanism of the producer“Zhiban Dad”will help to understand the male gender and masculinities of current children companion robots.