Can Voice User Interfaces Say "I"? An Experiment with Recorded Speech and TTS

How do people respond to voice user interfaces (VUIs) that use first-person pronouns as opposed to those that use thepassive voice? We addressed this question in the context of a phone-based auction via a 2 (first person vs. passive voice) X 2 (recorded vs. synthesized speech) between-participants experiment (N=48). There were significant cross-over interactions with respect to user relaxation, perception of system quality, and bidding behavior such that personal pronouns were responded to more positively than passive voice for recorded speech, while passive voice was responded to more positively for synthesized speech. We discuss implications for the theory and design of VUIs.