Apple unveiled Siri, which it described as an intelligent assistant that helps people get things done just by asking. Built into the new iPhone 4S, Siri was designed to understand natural speech and context.
What happened
- Users could ask Siri to send messages, set reminders, schedule meetings, check the weather, and search the web.
- Siri launched as a beta, supporting English (US, UK, and Australia), French, and German.
- The iPhone 4S went on sale on 14 October 2011.
- Siri began as a start-up spun out of SRI International and was acquired by Apple in 2010.
Why it mattered
Siri put a conversational AI assistant into millions of pockets and triggered a race among technology companies to build voice assistants, including Google Now, Cortana, and Alexa. It also raised new questions about voice recordings being processed in the cloud.
Lessons for organisations
Before allowing voice assistants on business devices, understand what data is sent to the provider and how it is stored. Device management policies should cover assistants on locked screens and in sensitive settings, such as meetings where confidential matters are discussed.
Source: Apple Newsroom
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