Thread by @washingtonpost

Alexa Morales, named after her slain father, Alexis Morales Jr., wore her name proudly.

But after Amazon launched its voice service, also called Alexa, in 2014, people began speaking to Morales differently. wapo.st/3DfWiJn

In virtual classes, business meetings and at auditions, Alexas said they have been instructed to avoid saying their name or arbitrarily assigned new names.

One Alexa said the teasing and jokes escalated to sexual harassment. wapo.st/3DfWiJn

Alexa Hagerty, an AI ethicist and associate fellow at the University of Cambridge, said female voices are perceived as cooperative, polite and subservient and male voices as authoritative. wapo.st/3DfWiJn

Amazon chose the name Alexa because it “was inspired by the Library of Alexandria and is reflective of Alexa’s depth of knowledge,” public relations specialist for Amazon, Lauren Raemhild said in a statement. wapo.st/3DfWiJn

In 2015, more than 6,000 baby girls in the U.S. were named Alexa, according to a Post analysis of Social Security Administration data.

After Amazon chose Alexa as the wake word of its voice service, the name’s popularity plummeted. wapo.st/3DfWiJn

Post reporter Alexa Juliana Ard interviewed more than 25 women and girls named Alexa and several parents of Alexas to see how the voice assistant’s rapid takeover of workplaces and homes had altered their feelings about their name and identity. wapo.st/3DfWiJn