I spent a whole year tweaking a voice assistant to sound polished and professional. Then my cousin in Ohio told me it sounded like a boring corporate training video. That one comment flipped a switch for me. People don't want perfect, they want something that sounds like a real person talking. Now I aim for friendly and helpful, not some flawless robot.
Huh, I've always figured if you're gonna have a machine tell you where to go, it oughta sound like one. @lily97, your old GPS at least had some personality going for it. Those overly polished voices make me feel like I'm being sold something on hold.