# data[].attributes.headline
How Innovative is Apple's new voice assistant, Siri? - Balanced Account [Amelia]

# data[].attributes.subject
How Innovative is Apple's new voice assistant, Siri? - Balanced Account [Amelia]

# data[].attributes.body
"He [Boris Katz, an AI researcher at MIT] says Apple has created a “very impressive piece of engineering” by combining established techniques from fields such as voice recognition and natural language processing."

"[Phil Blunsom, who researches machine learning at the University of Oxford] says Apple must try to keep expectations realistic, otherwise people might dismiss Siri because it “can’t answer esoteric questions, despite the fact that it can find you a good sushi restaurant nearby"."

Ref: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026240791162647X

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How innovative is Apple's new voice assistant, Siri?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Users of the new iPhone 4S can just speak to book restaurants or make appointments. How has Apple done it?

# data[].attributes.headline
Is Siri spying on me? - Pessimistic Account [Amelia]

# data[].attributes.subject
Is Siri spying on me? - Pessimistic Account [Amelia]

# data[].attributes.body
"It's more than to sell you things. It's now figuring out where you spend your money, how to get your vote, and essentially about trying to manipulate society."

Ref: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2020/02/02/siri-spying-why-apple-ipad-changed-after-hearing-spanish-home/4627367002/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I watch most TV shows and movies on my iPad these days, and something strange happened recently. My iPad - or rather apps such as Hulu and Bravo linked via Apple TV on my iPad - started showing me commercials in Spanish.

That was interesting, since I hadn't touched the language settings, watched any shows in Spanish, or done any kind of internet activity in another language. But even more curious, was what had changed when the new commercials popped up.

We had just moved to a more Spanish-speaking area of Oakland, California. While I don't speak Spanish (very well at least), my husband does and was doing so daily with contractors in our new house within "earshot" of my iPad.

Could this timing and sudden sprinkling of Spanish commercials for insurance, seatbelt safety, and affordable college degrees be mere coincidence? Or was it a clear sign of location-based tracking? With Siri voice-assistance active, is my gadget, or the TV apps on it, specifically working to better predict my wants and needs - and providing Spanish speaking commercials - to be more "helpful?"

Like so many other people who've mentioned a product in conversation only to see it pop up in an ad on Facebook the next day, I've long wondered if, why, and how exactly, my gadgets are "listening," to my life.
Work is watching: Always feel like somebody's watching: 5 ways to limit your phone's location tracking Your boss is probably spying on your work phone or computer
"It's technically possible and quite easy for Apple and Android apps to listen to your conversations, but this being done on a large scale hasn't been proven," says Matthew Crowley, principal and co-founder of Cleveland-based cybersecurity firm Cyprus Lake.

While potentially possible for rogue apps to eavesdrop, Crowley said that's not likely what happened in my case because there are too many other easier ways for companies to get ad-targeting information about us.

"A lot of applications look at your location, track your internet surfing, credit card purchases, and might even have access to photos and notes. Considering they can harvest words off of your pictures, correlate other faces, and access contacts to your devices, these data brokers can put all of this information together to create a full profile of who you are," Crowley added.

And Apple says it engineers its devices to protect user privacy. When it comes to Siri, which is integrated in nearly every Apple device, the assistant is designed to activate only after the wake word ("Hey, Siri") or a waking action is completed, Apple says.

So is my device actually spying on me?

"The simple answer is no, your (gadget) is not likely actively listening to your conversations," Northeastern Associate Professor of Computer and Information Science David Choffnes told me over the phone. "But that doesn't mean they aren't (enabling the collection of) millions of data points to know who you are, where you live, what stores you shop at, where your kids go to school, and just about everything else."

Choffnes also explained that some of the most basic tracking for advertising uses our IP address and that since I had just moved, "maybe you got someone else's address," he surmised. "I don't know that for sure, but it's not uncommon."
I agreed to what? Game on: How to watch SF 49ers vs. KC Chiefs without cable What you need to know before clicking 'I agree'
Sure enough, when I deleted and then reinstalled both the Bravo and Hulu apps now that we have our router all set-up in our new home, I didn't get any more commercials in other languages.

I also stopped mindlessly clicking "Accept" every time a web page asks me if it's okay to use cookies to "personalize and enhance my experience" on their site as a result - but this is all just the tip of the privacy iceberg.

The ability for companies to harvest all of this information about us, with lighting fast speed, is hard enough to wrap our heads around. But are they really doing all of this to sell us stuff? "That's the billion-dollar question," Choffnes said.
Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech columnist. Email her at jj@techish.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferJolly.
What your Android device knows

Choffnes supervised research back in 2018 that looked at 17,000 Android apps to determine whether they accessed phone microphones without users knowing about it. While the research turned up zero signs of audio eavesdropping, it did shed light on many other ways companies profile us, some more alarming and intrusive than others.

"We found that every (Android) app has the ability to record your screen and anything you type," Choffnes said, adding that some companies were sending screenshots and videos of user phone activities to third parties. Northeastern researchers did not find that any nefarious activity as a result of those screenshots, but Choffnes and others say it underscores a much larger privacy issue: No one really knows - or can know at this point - how many hundreds, even thousands of other little digital data crumbs we leave all around every single day, and ultimately how all of that information will get used.

"It's more than to sell you things," Crowley said. "It's now figuring out where you spend your money, how to get your vote, and essentially about trying to manipulate society. The ads are a symptom of a larger problem, and we need to do a lot more work keeping (our private data) safe and regulating what companies can do with it."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Is Siri spying on me? Apps on my iPad began playing Spanish ads after conversations at home

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I watch most TV shows and movies on my iPad these days, and something strange happened recently. My iPad - or rather apps such as Hulu and Bravo linked via Apple TV on my iPad - started showing me commercials in Spanish.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Why Does Siri Deliver Opinions Instead of Facts?It appears that Siri is designed to keep you from thinking. 

# data[].attributes.headline
Siri Needs an Attitude Adjustment (Shaoxiang)

# data[].attributes.subject
Siri Needs an Attitude Adjustment (Shaoxiang)

# data[].attributes.body
Why Does Siri Deliver Opinions Instead of Facts?

It appears that Siri is designed to keep you from thinking. It is designed to tell you the objective facts and then to add its subjective take on those facts. That's bad enough, but what you get is not even the computers opinion... if a computer could have an opinion. What you hear is the result of Siri's programmed design.

https://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/85692.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
365 Threat Monitor scans all emails as they reach your users' mailboxes to detect ransomware, phishing and spam. Receive real-time phone alerts, get real-time security breach updates and instantly delete threats with just one click - for free!
Instantly delete email threats for Office 365
Learn More.

You would think that a successful company like Apple would want to learn what ticks off its customers about its products and services, and then fix them. You would think that it would learn that its negative-thinking artificial intelligence assistant, known as "Siri," is ticking off users.

Few people want to hear the opinion of a computer, especially when it contradicts their own opinion in a negative way. However, Apple keeps going its merry way without paying any attention to its products' users.

Opinions are funny things. They are subjective, not objective. When you ask Siri a question, you want an accurate and objective answer. When you ask Siri about the weather, what you are looking for is the temperature and the forecast. Period. You will make your own subjective determination whether the forecast and temperature are good or bad, based on the way you think.

Why Does Siri Deliver Opinions Instead of Facts?

It appears that Siri is designed to keep you from thinking. It is designed to tell you the objective facts and then to add its subjective take on those facts. That's bad enough, but what you get is not even the computers opinion... if a computer could have an opinion. What you hear is the result of Siri's programmed design.

That's right, it's the programmer's opinion. You wouldn't take anyone else's opinion at face value. Why should you take it from a computer? That's what Apple expects its users to do.

When you ask the temperature, Siri should give you the temperature. Period -- not the software developer's negative opinion of the temperature.

When you ask Siri the temperature, it will say something like, "Brrr, it's cold. Temperature, 45 degrees." The 45 degrees is the objective number you asked for. That was good. But the subjective commentary that suggests 45 degrees is cold is over the top and uncalled for. Especially when, from your perspective, it's wrong. It's just somebody's opinion.

Yesterday, it was 35 degrees, so at 45 degrees, today feels great -- but not to Siri. Apple's AI doesn't seem to want you feel good. It always finds the worst part of the forecast to focus on.

Here's another example: When asked for the forecast, Siri says it's cold and wet. However, when you actually look at the forecast on the screen, what you see is clear, sunny and warm weather for the next week -- except for one day in the middle of next week.

You probably would look at that forecast and say it was great. Why then does Siri deliver the negative "cold and wet" assessment? It throws cold water on the warm heart of every user.

4 Ways Apple Can Fix Siri's Negativity Problem

First, Siri should not share the software programmer's opinion, especially when it leans toward negative thinking.

Second, Siri should give users the ability to read the forecast on their own rather than waiting for it to stop reading aloud. Why is Siri so quick to tell you the negative side of the weather forecast, but can't seem to utter a word when you are looking up something else? Very frustrating indeed.

Third, if Apple thinks Siri should give its opinion -- which is very wrong, but just for the purpose of discussion -- then at the very least, it should give users the ability to select a positive or negative outlook on life, instead of forcing every user to deal with negativity.

Fourth, Apple should give its users the choice to turn off the subjective opinion feature and opt for the objective information only.

What Gives Apple the Right to Dictate Our Attitudes?

What gives Siri the right to dictate our moods and attitudes? It's a machine. It's not human. And it's misleading more often than not. This really ticks off countless users. Is that really what Apple wants to do?

Apple can fix this problem. It needs to stop Siri from delivering such negative, subjective and often misleading opinions. This feature sours the user experience for this product.

Apple Should Let Users Choose Positive or Negative Siri

Why doesApple continue to bathe us with negative subjectivity? Why can't it look at life as a glass that is half full instead of half empty? At the very least, it should allow the user to give Siri an attitude adjustment. When you set up Siri, you can choose whether it's a female or male voice. You can select an American or English accent, among others.

Apple should let users select a positive or negative Siri attitude. That would at least make Siri more acceptable to the human mind. That would be better than having Siri rub us the wrong way every stinking day.

Since this is AI, which is just a computer, there should be all sorts of options to let users select the experience they want. If Apple is such a successful company, why can't it understand that it's ticking off its users? Something is very wrong in Cupertino. Just saying.

Jeff Kagan has been an ECT News Network columnist since 2010. His focus is on the wireless and telecom industries. He is an independent analyst, consultant and speaker. Email Jeff.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You would think that a successful company like Apple would want to learn what ticks off its customers, and then fix the problems. You would think that it would learn that its negative-thinking artificial intelligence assistant, known as "Siri," is ticking off users.

# data[].attributes.headline
Apple's Siri as Revolutionary as the Mac - Optimistic Account [Amelia]

# data[].attributes.subject
Apple's Siri as Revolutionary as the Mac - Optimistic Account [Amelia]

# data[].attributes.body
"But that leap was there — it’s just not one that is easily seen. Siri, the new iPhone's voice-control software, is going to have as big an impact as that first iPhone did. It’s going to fundamentally change our relationship with computers."

Ref: https://hbr.org/2011/10/apples-siri-is-as-revolutionar

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The initial reaction to the iPhone 4S was cooler than Apple might have hoped. Expectations had been hyped to such a point that people were looking for a leap forward equivalent to the first iPhone. When they couldn't immediately see it, many were disappointed. But that leap was there - it's just not one that is easily seen. Siri, the new iPhone's voice-control software, is going to have as big an impact as that first iPhone did. It's going to fundamentally change our relationship with computers.

Almost everyone referenced the Mac when they were eulogizing Steve Jobs last week. There's no doubting the importance of that little machine - it revolutionized computing, by making it accessible to those without specialized knowledge. Traditional human/computer interaction was turned on its head: not only did the Mac represent the first broad adoption of the mouse, but also of the graphical user interface. No longer did you have to type commands into Unix or DOS to get a computer to do what you wanted it to do. Instead, the Mac used a desktop metaphor - you moved the mouse and the cursor around the screen, like your hand moving across your desk.

And yet as great an advance as it was, the keyboard and mouse is still a relatively unnatural way for us to interact with anything. Computer interfaces have, at best, tricked our body and our minds into familiarity. They've relied on concepts like muscle memory - where we associate gestures with an outcome to the point where we don't even have to think about it - to try to help us locate commonly used tools, such as the Start or Apple menu. But these only paper over the problem. As more and more features have been added to our computers, the desktop metaphor - that the Mac introduced all those years ago - has long been stretched past breaking point. Novice users often don't know where to begin. The touch paradigm introduced in the iPhone began to change that: it removed the intermediary of the mouse and the cursor. But even still, unnecessary complexity remains. Why does a user care whether a message from a friend is an email or an SMS? Why should they have to concern themselves with opening a browser or a specific app to find out what the weather is going to be tomorrow?

And try as we might to design hardware that is ergonomic, there's no denying the impact this technology has had on our bodies. Repetitive strain injury, degradation of eyesight - these are the result of using existing computer and phone interfaces for hours on end.

Siri is the first serious step in changing all that.

In true Apple fashion, there is little that is technologically novel. The original iPhone was much the same - the touch interface; pocketable computers that could do email, web and music - these all existed when the original iPhone was released. Same with the Mac - it wasn't the first mouse or graphical interface to be introduced. They all existed before. What made these devices successful was the way in which they were put together so centrally around the user.

It's going to be the same with Siri. Very accurate speech recognition systems have been around for some time. So too has advanced artificial intelligence - Watson has won Jeopardy, and every year, the entrants to the Turing Test get better and better. But until now, nobody had put speech and artificial intelligence together in a compelling way: which meant that the voice systems on our computers and our phones have been clunky to the point where it was just easier to avoid them.

That's what Apple has fixed. Rather than simply roll out technology for its own sake, Siri starts with a deep understanding of the job users have for their devices - and then deploys speech and AI technologies in a way that actually helps them accomplish what they're trying to do.

The advantage of using speech over other interaction paradigms is that we have honed its use over thousands of years. It is entirely natural for us to talk to one another. Talking is one of the first things we learn how to do as children. It's second nature for us to ask a colleague or a friend a question and for them to answer the same way. Being able to talk to a phone like it's a personal assistant is something that people are going to get very used to, very quickly. It's a much more natural approach than using a mouse on a desktop. And I highly doubt the impact is going to stop at phones. Of course, the computer is going to benefit, but the potential hardly stops there. Take television. Why bother with remotes and complicated TV guides covering hundreds of channels? "Siri, is there any football on right now? When is my team next playing? Could you record it for me?"

That's not to say this is the end of the keyboard. There will always be instances where a keyboard will be superior; just as there are still instances where using a command line interface is a more effective way of computing than a graphical user interface. That being said, a surprising amount of the time, it simply won't be necessary. Speech is going to replace it.

Jobs described the original Mac as a bicycle for your mind. Siri deserves some equivalent description - I think it's going to take devices and turn them into assistants for our minds. It seems crazy right now, but I don't think it will be long before we view this technology in the same light as we view the iPhone: we won't quite be able imagine life without it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Apple's Siri Is as Revolutionary as the Mac

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The initial reaction to the iPhone 4S was cooler than Apple might have hoped. Expectations had been hyped to such a point that people were looking for a leap forward equivalent to the first iPhone. When they couldn't immediately see it, many were disappointed. But that leap was there - it's just not one that [...]

# data[].attributes.body
Artificial intelligence has led to major inconsistencies in levels of usage and understanding.The issue of asymmetric information in markets, highlighting the grey areas that might lead not only to profit but also likely cases of mis-spelling or misrepresentation.

Ref: https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/docview/2198531306?pq-origsite=primo