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Is Siri really more than a little bit of sugarcoating on top of stuff others have been doing for years (Google, Wolfram Alpha)? I suspect it is doing ok for som

by Tichy 15y ago

Is Siri really more than a little bit of sugarcoating on top of stuff others have been doing for years (Google, Wolfram Alpha)? I suspect it is doing ok for some tasks (calendar), but that is about it. For example on Android people have been calling contacts by saying their names for a quite a while already.

incremental 15y ago
The iPhone has had voice commands such as "Call x" since 2009. This is something different.
toddmorey 15y ago
It is. What's impressive about Siri is not the speech recognition (although it's pretty good) but rather two new elements that I haven't seen done as well on another consumer device: 1. Interpreting the meaning of your request 2. Remembering and using context Siri has been a standout in those areas since before the Apple acquisition. Most people are surprised at just how naturally you can talk to your phone. It's doing more complex work than just passing the request on to Wolfram Alpha. However, Google has a lot of impressive work in this space, too. I don't think it's long before android phones are this good--they are practically there already. It's classic Apple: they didn't invent it, but they look like they'll get credit for being the first to popularize it and bring it to the mass market.
Pewpewarrows 15y ago
Android user here who frequently uses the voice commands. The primary differences I see between what we have and what Siri offers are: - More built-in app integration (like GPS). "Remind me to call Jennifer when I leave work" wouldn't compute. The Wolfram Alpha integration is also a nice touch. - Improved contextual awareness. "Is it going to rain today?" or "I'm in the mood for Italian" don't work for me. I have to explicitly use keywords like asking for a "map of italian restaurants". - 2-way conversations. I only speak a command and the voice command opens another application based on that command. Siri can talk back to you and resolve conflicts, such as calendar schedule overlaps. Have we had voice commands on our phones for what seems like forever now? Yep. But that doesn't make me any less jealous of the neat innovations that Apple's done in the speech recognition AI field. Again, a great example of the fierce competition driving innovation, and the consumer wins.
- Tichy 15y ago
  Still, I think those are only some special cases (weather, calendar). Admittedly they are nice, but I doubt they are an AI revolution. Also I suppose it is kind of a "desktop search" for the mobile phone. Google can not search your contacts and calendar (it could, but the Google search is not really tied into it yet, I suppose).
lrm242 15y ago
Siri has been in development for quite some time. Prior to spinning out, it was a DARPA funded research project at SRI. Give the guys credit. They didn't just slap down a bunch of glue to tie together Google and voice recognition.
podperson 15y ago
I've never been able to get squat out of Wolframe Alpha. Even on things that seem like it should be right up its alley ("compare health care costs in Texas to Wisconsin" -- "no data available" -- Oh really?)
- Tichy 15y ago
  Maybe, but Siri merely refers to Wolfram Alpha for most requests, so it is hardly an improvement. I think it is an improvement in the way it is integrated into the phone, but not in AI capability.
  - baggachipz 15y ago
    Thank you, at least someone else in this thread understands. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills in here.
  - podperson 15y ago
    So if I said to my phone "please book me a flight to Kansas tomorrow" and it did you would point out that Travelocity does this and this is merely an improved method of integration into the phone?

by Tichy 15y ago

incremental 15y ago

The iPhone has had voice commands such as "Call x" since 2009. This is something different.

toddmorey 15y ago

It is. What's impressive about Siri is not the speech recognition (although it's pretty good) but rather two new elements that I haven't seen done as well on another consumer device: 1. Interpreting the meaning of your request 2. Remembering and using context Siri has been a standout in those areas since before the Apple acquisition. Most people are surprised at just how naturally you can talk to your phone. It's doing more complex work than just passing the request on to Wolfram Alpha. However, Google has a lot of impressive work in this space, too. I don't think it's long before android phones are this good--they are practically there already. It's classic Apple: they didn't invent it, but they look like they'll get credit for being the first to popularize it and bring it to the mass market.

Pewpewarrows 15y ago

Android user here who frequently uses the voice commands. The primary differences I see between what we have and what Siri offers are: - More built-in app integration (like GPS). "Remind me to call Jennifer when I leave work" wouldn't compute. The Wolfram Alpha integration is also a nice touch. - Improved contextual awareness. "Is it going to rain today?" or "I'm in the mood for Italian" don't work for me. I have to explicitly use keywords like asking for a "map of italian restaurants". - 2-way conversations. I only speak a command and the voice command opens another application based on that command. Siri can talk back to you and resolve conflicts, such as calendar schedule overlaps. Have we had voice commands on our phones for what seems like forever now? Yep. But that doesn't make me any less jealous of the neat innovations that Apple's done in the speech recognition AI field. Again, a great example of the fierce competition driving innovation, and the consumer wins.

Tichy 15y ago
Still, I think those are only some special cases (weather, calendar). Admittedly they are nice, but I doubt they are an AI revolution. Also I suppose it is kind of a "desktop search" for the mobile phone. Google can not search your contacts and calendar (it could, but the Google search is not really tied into it yet, I suppose).

lrm242 15y ago

Siri has been in development for quite some time. Prior to spinning out, it was a DARPA funded research project at SRI. Give the guys credit. They didn't just slap down a bunch of glue to tie together Google and voice recognition.

podperson 15y ago

I've never been able to get squat out of Wolframe Alpha. Even on things that seem like it should be right up its alley ("compare health care costs in Texas to Wisconsin" -- "no data available" -- Oh really?)

Tichy 15y ago
Maybe, but Siri merely refers to Wolfram Alpha for most requests, so it is hardly an improvement. I think it is an improvement in the way it is integrated into the phone, but not in AI capability.
- baggachipz 15y ago
  Thank you, at least someone else in this thread understands. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills in here.
- podperson 15y ago
  So if I said to my phone "please book me a flight to Kansas tomorrow" and it did you would point out that Travelocity does this and this is merely an improved method of integration into the phone?