What If Siri Was One of Us?

When I was in my early teens my parents and I were fascinated by a movie about a little robot boy named David who went on a quest to make his human mother love him. It was set in a dystopian society where humans were beginning to be afraid of the increasing impact that the robots have, but were destructive towards their own kind as well. At the end of the movie, human beings were no more but the higher intelligence that rules the Earth was able to grant David’s wish and reunite him with his human mom as a real boy, albeit for 24 hours only. This movie was called A.I. and it was Stanley Kubrick’s last great work.

This movie left an impact on me. I remember David talking to a holographic answer engine named Dr. Know, voiced by the late Robin Williams. I thought that I may not be alive to see that but it would be amazing to talk to an all-knowing “engine”. More than a decade later, we have all this and more. 

Magic 🎩 … no, just Google Assistant 

I currently work as a Web Data Analyst and I need to extract a lot of relevant information for brands, industries, markets etc. While I have been using Siri since the early days to schedule calendar appointments and make reminders, now I have switched to Android and Google Assistant is on a whole new level. It provides me with very relevant information for brands’ clients and partnerships. It can display demographic and behavioral data for a market segment. I can accurately make calculations and even ask follow-up questions just by using my voice.

A Scary Thought 

The phone had become an extension of the self. According to researcher Dscout, we touch our phone 2,617 times per day. This is a quite scary number. While the premise of the movie A.I. is a robot wanting to be a real human boy, the reverse process is unconsciously seemingly happening. Our phones have become extensions of ourselves and a part of who we are. So if Siri had a face what would it be? Would you go on a quest like David to meet her?