A feminist virtual agent for breastfeeding promotion

Abstract

The design of a conversational virtual agent that plays the role of a lactation educator promoting breastfeeding is described, along with a manipulation to make the agent appear more or less feminist. Results from a randomized pilot study indicate that study participants were aware of the manipulation and participants who were more feminist preferred the feminist agent, while those who were non-feminist preferred the non-feminist agent. This work demonstrates one way that feminism can be incorporated into agent design, and a methodology for identifying users who will be most receptive to it.