Mike Schertenlieb
The iPhone 4S’s Siri is supposed to act as virtual assistant, utilizing voice commands, your iPhone’s contacts and media, and of course, the internet.
It’s a powerful piece of software, but how does it stack up against a living, breathing, human virtual assistant? Does Siri mark the beginning of the end of a human based industry? Years from now, will we reminisce how thousands of people were employed before advancing technology again made their positions obsolete?
Siri functions on basic Q&A methodology. You ask a question or make a request, and Siri does its best to provide the information you’re after. This can be used for travel directions, trivia questions, sending messages, or setting reminders. Essentially, Siri’s integration with iOS makes the application work like a universal voice commander for your iPhone.
While this is all well and good, describing it as such really illustrates the application’s shortcomings.
When compared to an actual assistant, Siri shows its true colors as a quantitative entity, incapable of intuitive thought. Ask Siri where to go for lunch, and it will give you the highest ranked restaurants in the area. It will not, however, tell you that it fills to capacity every day – and that you need a reservation. It definitely won’t be able to recommend a dish that doesn’t have an online review.
It’s a matter of convenience, really. Siri is great for some quick information when you’re on the move and can’t stop to type into the Google search bar, or when you need some hands-free control of your iPhone. To call it a “virtual assistant” is a bit of a misnomer, though. Siri will not create content. Siri will not help you sort out a particularly difficult customer service issue.
Is Siri cool? Definitely. The voice recognition is quite good, and won’t give you too much “I didn’t catch that, please repeat the question” like a lot of other voice command programs. When it’s all said and done though, Siri won’t give you a lick of information you couldn’t easily find yourself, if only you had the moment of free time, or the free hands, to look it up.
For virtual assistance, however, Marvin Gaye put it best: “Ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby.”
…At least for now.
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