# Can Voice Assistants Be Microaggressors? Cross-Race Psychological Responses to Failures of Automatic Speech Recognition

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.12326 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.12326/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 23 Feb 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- ["It's not a representation of me": Examining Accent Bias and Digital Exclusion in Synthetic AI Voice Services](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.09346/) (2025)
- [Self-supervised Speech Representations Still Struggle with African American Vernacular English](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.14262/) (2024)
- [Unveiling Biases while Embracing Sustainability: Assessing the Dual Challenges of Automatic Speech Recognition Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.00907/) (2025)
- [Designing Speech Technologies for Australian Aboriginal English: Opportunities, Risks and Participation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.03186/) (2025)
- [Unheard in the Digital Age: Rethinking AI Bias and Speech Diversity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.18641/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Language technologies have a racial bias, committing greater errors for Black users than for white users. However, little work has evaluated what effect these disparate error rates have on users themselves. The present study aims to understand if speech recognition errors in human-computer interactions may mirror the same effects as misunderstandings in interpersonal cross-race communication. In a controlled experiment (N=108), we randomly assigned Black and white participants to interact with a voice assistant pre-programmed to exhibit a high versus low error rate. Results revealed that Black participants in the high error rate condition, compared to Black participants in the low error rate condition, exhibited significantly higher levels of self-consciousness, lower levels of self-esteem and positive affect, and less favorable ratings of the technology. White participants did not exhibit this disparate pattern. We discuss design implications and the diverse research directions to which this initial study aims to contribute.