Have you ever thought about how Siri came to be? This podcast explores the technology and importance behind it but more importantly explains and provides an understanding of how it impacts society when looking at the bigger picture of modern technology. Since the 2000s, we have seen the evolution of digital technology skyrocket, from smartphones, social media, to virtual assistants but some are skeptical on how dependant we have become. Siri is an example of modern technology we have incorporated into our daily lifestyles, but how far is too far?

Podcast Transcript

by Maia T.

**Siri plays**

**Background music**

Today I will be discussing the technological phenomenon: Siri. What it is exactly. How it works, what it represents in modern technology, security, the competition, and it’s significance will all be looked at in depth.

so… What Is Siri Exactly?

Developed in October of 2011, Apple created Siri, the first digital and automated virtual assistant ever! Siri, an acronym for “speech interpretation and recognition interface” is a built-in voice-controlled feature, that exclusively allows Apple users to easily interact with their devices without having to physically hold them or touch them. By simply saying the phrase “Hey Siri”, or holding down the power button, a male or female voice will respond and be ready to hear instructions. Because it has access to all other applications on your device, Siri can pretty much do anything, from telling you the weather for that day, play the current show youre binge-watching, solve math problems, or even tell you a bedtime story. Since its creation back in 2011, it has expanded and improved to be much more inclusive and accessible. It currently supports voices with 5 different accents and has over 21 language options to choose from. Siri is available on all Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple watch and Homepod.

Technology & How It Works?

Siri is actually a form of artificial intelligence and natural language processing (or NLP) that is based on speech recognition. It was designed with personal context awareness and service delegation so it can effortlessly convert a wide variety of human speech into textual data, where it can predict the result you want. For example: if person A, says “Hey Siri wake me up at 6am for the next 2 days” and person B says “Hey Siri set an alarm for 6am for Monday and Tuesday”, Siri can still correctly predict what they want, even though the 2 commands are worded differently– this is called entity extraction. In order for this to happen, Apple engineers use specific data sets and NLP algorithms to pick up on entities, which is something with distinct and independent importance. In this example, entities include the words: 7 am, alarm, as well as Monday & Tuesday. After recognizing the entities, the command is transmitted to Apple servers using an internet connection. Finally, the command is paired with several different outcomes that could lead to a possible solution. The concept of Siri may seem straightforward and simple to us, but behind the scenes, there is a lot going on.

Privacy?

The number one concern that many Siri users have is privacy. Of course we know it is a voice assistant software, so it has to listen to us sometimes? But when does it stop listening… Apple states that “Siri is designed to protect your information and enables you to choose what you share” but it was recently revealed that transcripts of your Siri interactions and data are being automaatically stored and possibly reviewed by Apple employees. In 2019, Apple was involved in a serious scandal where security flaws were found regarding the privacy of Apple users. An article published by the Guardian, revealed that certain sounds such as whistling and the sound of a zipper were accidentally activating Siri which resulted in private conversations being recorded and sent back to Apple. Doctors appointments discussing private medical history and illigal drug deals were just some of the incidents that were being recorded. Apple responded to the raising concern by announcing that user’s Apple Id’s were not being associated with the recordings. Although this is accurate, location and contact information were still being linked to each of the recordings. Their are limited precautions to take to ensure your privacy such as turning off the “listen for hey siri” option in your device’s phone settings, but Apple definitely needs to improve the control people have over their security concerning Siri, with over 500 million current users today.

Significance:

Siri was one of the first voice assistant softwares to take off while quickly becoming the standard for virtual assistants. It is not only the blue print but also paved the way for other virtual assistants to be developed including Alexa, GoogleHome, and Amazon’s Echo. The system was designed to make life increasingly easier for everyone. People with disabilities that are imobile often depend on Siri to manuever through their day smoothly. Being able to independently call the doctors office or book an appointment without having to be in reach of a device is not only convenient but ensures that people aren’t compromising their safety. Without realizing, it has also changed our relationship with technology. “Hey Siri, can you lower the volume please.” this is a basic command that Siri hears across the world all the time. This is a prime example of how dependant we have become on modern technology. Driving is something that we do everyday, and people use Siri in multiple ways to ensure their safety: by using it to make a call hands-free, to check the current traffic, or to see where the nearest gas station is. This has helped prevent accidents and to safely obey the law. So, one can argue that society depends on Siri too much, but their are people that benefit from it and are more productive.

What It Represents Within Modern Technology:

Although Siri was launched publicly in 2011, it was first developed in 2007. The mid 2000’s was the era of innovation and the beginning of modern technology. Siri is everything modern technology represents: improvement, advancement and efficiency. It has influenced the way in which we live our daily lives and interact with the world. Today’s society would not survive without modern technology, whether it be our devices, social networks, or software. According to Tratica, a market intelligence firm, the number of people using digital voice assistants will reach 1.8 billion by the end of 2021, where over 30% of technological interactions will be “verbal”.

What Seperates It From The Rest?

It is no secret that Siri is one of many voice assistants on the market today, but what makes it stand out? Firstly, it was the first of its kind to be introduced to the public and is the only one that is actually installed directly into the iOS software unlike its competitors Alexa, and Google Home, where they can be individually downloaded onto a device or a speaker. Siri is also compatible and can control all smart home devices which is in high demand today. In a digital assistant IQ test provided by a research firm called Loup Ventures, it was revealed that Siri understood user commands 99% of the time while correctly answering them 78.5% of the time, which in comparison is better than Alexa, where she only correctly answered 61.4% of the time. Many people also tend to move towards Siri because of its use of natural language. Interactions are often much more personal due to its capability of carrying a casual conversation and she will often tell jokes too.