“Say Siri.” These two words are well known to iPhone, iPad or HomePod owners. Since 2011, they have been able to respond to user requests through voice commands.
Call a contact, send an SMS, do an Internet search… The possibilities of commands with Siri are multiple, but the practicality of the process has always been questioned. Therefore, Apple wants to simplify order taking. And the solution is quite simple: replace the famous “Hey Siri” with a simple “Siri”.
a technical challenge
This change may seem trivial, but it represents a huge challenge for Apple engineers. The big problem lies in the complexity of making Siri understand that an order is being sent to her simply by calling her name. In fact, the voice command system was more likely to understand “Hey Siri,” regardless of the user’s language or accent. Some Apple product owners, for example, can successfully activate Siri by conjuring up words that are remarkably close to the ear, such as “series” or “Syria.”
For this reason, the Apple brand teams have been working for several months to fully train the artificial intelligence to understand the orders sent on the first try. But also to understand them better.
Do like the competition
Apple wants to get closer to what its competitors have been doing for several years. Amazon only asks its users for a simple “Alexa” to activate its voice assistant. Microsoft has also simplified its recognition system by changing from “Hey Cortana” to “Cortana.”
Google for its part continues to resist asking its users to say “OK Google” or “Hey Google”. However, brand connected objects can be reactivated for short requests without having to repeat the magic activation formula.
This is part of Apple’s goal with this phrase change: to be able to string together commands without having to repeat “Hey Siri.” This could be particularly useful for people equipped with home automation in their homes, who would no longer have to repeatedly invoke the voice assistant to carry out their requests.
And if at Twitter and Elon Musk we develop new features in just a few days, at Apple we take our time. The magic formula switch shouldn’t be operational until 2023 or even 2024 depending on Bloomberg.
Source: BFM TV
