Who Is to Blame for Siri's Abortion Incompetence?
You may have heard of the recent kerfuffle surrounding the apparent reluctance of Apple's new voice recognition application, "Siri," to locate an abortion clinic. Over the last week, groups like the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League and the American Civil Liberties Union have spoken out against Apple because of the broader implications of the software glitch. In the preamble to a recent online petition by the ACLU to Apple: "[I]f Siri can tell us about Viagra, it should not provide bad or no information about contraceptives or abortion care. Send a message to Apple: Fix Siri."
But what exactly is causing the problem? A friend's gChat status sums it up nicely:
But what exactly is causing the problem? A friend's gChat status sums it up nicely:
"I’m standing in front of a Planned Parenthood,” the CNN reporter says, “And Siri can’t find it when I search for abortion clinic.” No, it can’t. It’s not because Apple is pro-life. It’s because Planned Parenthood doesn’t call itself an abortion clinic.Sigh. A pretty good rule of life is to never blame on malice what can be attributed to incompetence. Just because Siri talks to you doesn't mean she is anything other than a basic search engine.
Labels: Rabid Liberals, Technology Rants
posted by Patrick Bageant at 8:41 AM
15 Comments:
I think CNN is missing the point, Patrick. Siri isn't a "basic" search engine. It's a search engine that is able to make "intuitive" leaps. It can tell you where to find viagra, but not the morning after pill. Both of these searches require the same leaps on the part of the program, but only one of them registers. I think it's legitimate to ask why.
Danny Sullivan, who wrote that passage in Patrick's friend's gChat status, provides a fairly comprehensive answer to that question, James. As for the kerfuffle, it's all just link baiting gotten a bit out of control. But think of the ad revenue, and the inane conversations about it you overhear on the street now!
James, every common search engine makes "intuitive" leaps (which are algorithmic and not intuitive at all). Voice recognition feature is the only thing that sets the Siri application apart.
James, you are a fucking idiot and nobody likes you.
I like James.
you see the fundamental attribution error get made all the time. it's apparently a hard-wired bug in our human psyche.
it's bad enough when we apply the FAE to humans. but when you see the FAE applied to inanimate algorithms that everyone knows have no consciousness, you begin to realize how screwed up our intuitions can be. to make matters worse, as we realize that the algorithm actually has no human intentions, we then shift the blame to some mysterious small group of people who must have some wicked intent.
it's not just James, it's all of us.
N&B trolls, what part of "it's legitimate to ask why" don't you understand? I asked and someone answered!
Wasn't this the community that ran screaming, demanding a dumb app that would "cure teh gay" be yanked? It seems a bit odd to suddenly be worried about the possibility of political content control.
This is why we need more female engineers.
I think this is the highest-profile battle yet in an interesting new front in the culture wars.
We're all familiar with the feminist critique of what L. Lessig calls "East Coast law." E.g. in Crim you learn about how the law comes down hard on negligent mothers but lets male rapists and domestic abusers off lightly.
With computer code an ever more omnipresent adjunct to our daily lives, we'll see that critique extended to Lessig's "West Coast law" (computer code). As A. Fong says, West Coast law is made by men. In fact, its probably more male-dominated than East Coast law. Male social dominance is thus reflected in and perpetuated by the robots our society makes.
No doubt a lot of law professors are already at work at this "intersection of law, technology, and feminism."
Then again, if these phone apps are hard-coding the majoritarian interests of male programmers, why is there no heterosexual Grindr? Sure, few women would sign up, but I bet millions of men would download it anyway, just in case. A puzzle.
Someone remind me again why Tyler isn't an official contributor here?
I will occupy N&B until this happens!
I'm not sure I buy the whole "the code is just not that good argument." When googling "Where can I find birth control?" Planned Parenthood is the second result. "Where can I buy viagra?" just gets a bunch of spam sites. I'm not sure how it's easier for the engine behind Siri to pull accurate Viagra information than it is BC.
Actually, there is a heterosexual Grindr. It's called Blendr: http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/blendr-grindr-straight-people-134814
"James, you are a fucking idiot and nobody likes you."
+1
Post a Comment
<< Home