Strong bonds with computers puts power into the hands of technology companies
Aram Sinnreich doesn’t have the new iPhone 4S yet, but once his contract runs out he will probably get one.
And once he does, he’ll meet Siri, the iPhone’s voice recognition app and personal digital assistant. Since its – or rather, her – launch, Siri has amazed iPhone users with her ability to write and send an email, remind you of appointments, and answer questions like “Will you marry me?” and “how to hide a dead body” all at the command of the user’s voice.
As a result, many iPhone users have developed affection heretofore unseen with a piece of electronic equipment. Sinnreich, an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at the School of Communication and Information, sees that love and trust as drastically tipping the scales of power into the hands of a few major corporations and governments.
“I am concerned that we are becoming emotionally vulnerable to things that do not feel back,” Sinnreich says. “Basically, it’s every science fiction movie you’ve ever seen.”
Apple introduced Siri to a wide audience in October with the launch of the iPhone 4S. The functionality of Siri is one of the main features distinguishing the new phone from its predecessor, the iPhone 4.
The technology behind Siri is nothing terribly novel or complicated. Asking her a question like “What’s a good movie playing near my house in the next hour?” is just like going to a movie website, looking at recommend movies based on previous searches, and finding local theaters and times. (Siri uses GPS.)
But asking Siri for that information is like asking a helpful friend. Apple, and especially its late leader Steve Jobs, has always been expert at finding ways for consumers to develop personal, emotional relationships with otherwise cold machines.
When we develop love and trust relationships with another person, we are more likely to reveal personal information about ourselves as the relationship becomes more intimate. When we develop those same bonds with computers, technology companies gain access to a massive amount of personal information, Sinnreich said.
“That trust mechanism has the potential to be hijacked in a very serious way on a scale of billions through interfaces like Siri,” he said. “Your entire life is one big search engine.”
Previous artificial intelligence applications could respond to human questions. The 1960s development ELIZA could have a discussion with a person, but could not draw upon numerous databases of web-based information as well as a person's previous queries and behavior.
“Most of us have no appreciation that when we ask Siri for anything, we are volunteering information,” Sinnreich said. “And that information that can be sold to the highest bidder.”