Kes: I like that this article by Motherboard gets into the larger implications of how this affects women in technology, but I'm always surprised that no one ever comments that these voices are not just feminine, they are ultra-feminine, and sometimes, such as the voice for the elevator that was in the hotel where WisCon used to be hosted, even sounded like a Stepford wife on valium, wich really creeped me out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBlPxpaum6U

Or am I an hnorary audio algorithm? Because I can do most of the things these AI can do.
While this may poke a ratioinal pin in the over-inflated balloon of blink superpowers, I can tell you, interpreting information from how people speak isn't rocket science. When people are lying, their voices tend to go up. When they are under stress or upset their body postures curl in on themselves, inhibiting the voice. When couples fight repeatedly, their arguments form patterns and, once name-calling comes into play, you can take a guess that that relationship is doomed. Even your facial expression affects the voice, and it's often easy to tell if someone is happy or sad. I think one could possibly even diagnose depression if one had access to a sampling of voice recordings.
This is why voice exercises are one of the first things acting classes focus on.
And yes, your phone is listening to you, because that's what it is programmed to do, not because it is trying to inform Big Brother what color your panties are.

And now you might be asking yourself, Can Kes tell what color my panties are?

*Kestrell smiles enigmatically.*