Cleo, the company behind an eponymous chatbot that helps users save money by using budgeting tools, has launched a defence of its decision to gender its assistant as female by arguing it was done in the name of feminism.

Cleo, which is powered by artificial intelligence software, is described by the company as “sassy”, “devastatingly smart”, “sexy” and “savage”, trained in assisting users with financial queries and “roasting” their frivolous spending decisions.