Artificially intelligent devices are starting to talk. We hear them all the time, a rising cacophony: Siri and Alexa devices have been joined by all manner of talking AI performing the role of customer service representatives, routinely asking us for information, responding to questions and problem solving. Google Translate can take a natural English language sentence and translate it for us out loud. AI machines’ conversational capabilities are increasing exponentially every year.
As Americans, we are used to certain protections for speech—rights arising from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Does or will a “talking AI machine” have the same rights? Do we want them to? Do we need them to?
