Apple packed a lot of announcements into its iPhone reveal event yesterday, but one device that didn't get a shoutout is the AirPod. Despite that, it seems that Apple still has big plans for the speaker throughout the rest of the year. In all, there are three incoming features for the AirPod, and one in particular is something users have been asking for since the HomePod launched.
Apple is overhauling how it deals with Siri recordings, pledging to do away with human assessment of Siri requests after users voiced privacy concerns that their conversations with the assistant could be overheard for quality testing. The iOS and macOS assistant has been caught up in ongoing controversies around all of the major virtual assistants the past few weeks, with privacy advocates warning that human assessment and intervention is far more prevalent than many users might assume.
AI-powered smart assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri are plenty convenient, especially when automating tasks with a single command. With their integration into phones, it's almost too easy to simply tell them to ring up not just family and friends but also businesses. Unfortunately, smart as they are, they can't always verify that the number they're calling is legit and this has lead to what may be the next wave of scamming and phishing strategies that is starting to become more popular.
If you've put off getting a smart speaker and you're wondering which is the most effective, a new small study from Loup Ventures suggests Google Assistant is the best solution for getting the most correct answers. Though Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa all had similar abilities to understand questions, only Google Assistant answered more than 90-percent of the questions correctly.
While Apple is positioning itself as the champion of privacy, other companies are accusing it of monopoly and unfair business practices. Its biggest accuser in that regard is, surprisingly or not, the music streaming giant Spotify. The two have been locked into a war of words that has already reached the ears of EU regulators. It seems that the two are willing to compromise on a few key points without actually backing down from their positions.
It may have been a running joke that Google and other companies are hearing your embarrassing conversations or expressions said in the presence of smart speakers and smart assistants but little did we know that reality was far stranger than fiction. It turned out, strangers are actually privy to some, but not all, of those audio clips for the usual sake of improving the service. Governments and regulators, however, are putting that process under a microscope, causing Apple and Google to halt such systems in Europe while they try to evaluate privacy implications and, if possible, work around the legal requirements.
Most consumers are familiar with the AI-powered nature of personal assistants like Alexa and Siri, but few are aware of one particular privacy concern: audio recordings made available to humans. The latest report on this topic claims Apple contractors tasked with reviewing Siri recordings have heard a variety of sensitive content, including drug deals and personal health information.
Here's something that might ease the ongoing tensions between Apple and Spotify: when it arrives, iOS 13 will apparently open up SiriKit, allowing Apple's AI assistant to work with third-party music and podcast apps. In other words, the days of Siri shooting down requests to play music through Spotify might soon be over. That's assuming, of course, that this functionality makes it into the final version iOS 13 that ships to customers later this year.
Apple takes pride in its strong stance on user privacy but some point out that, at times, it also limits the things Apple's products can potentially do. Siri, for example, is regarded to lag behind Google Assistant or even Amazon Alexa because of what Apple refuses to take from users. That doesn't mean, however, that one of the earliest consumer AI assistants is underpowered and in iOS 13, Apple will be showing what it can do while still respecting the user's privacy.
Obsequious, coy, and above all female virtual assistants like Alexa, Siri, and the Google Assistant are a widespread example of sexism, a new UN report argues, blasting gender bias coded into tech products. The use of default female voices for digital assistants, and their programmed reactions to insults and inappropriate requests, could be contributing to a growing gender gap, it's suggested.
In the battle of AI assistants, you might think that Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant has the lion's share of the market considering their pervasive presence in devices. Only one of that is correct, however, with Alexa taking just third place. Two surveys conducted by Microsoft reveal that Siri and Google Assistant are actually tied at the top. More interesting, however, are consumers' rather conflicted feelings about using these assistants when it comes to their privacy.
Facebook is working on its own personal assistant to take on Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, a new leak claims. This project has been in the pipeline since early last year, sources allege, with Facebook reportedly also having been in contact with vendors to supply the hardware. The voice assistant would, presumably, be paired with the company's Portal device, but wider plans are unclear.