If so, you’re not simply in turning to your phone for existential direction and serious, practical life advice. According to an Apple job posting, lots of users do it. That’s why the corporation is seeking software engineers with passion and a knowledge in psychology and peer counseling to help improve Siri’s replies to the toughest questions.
“People talk to Siri regarding all kinds of things, including when there ought to have a stressful day or have something pressing on their mind. They turn to Siri in distress or when they want direction on living a healthier life,” states the April ad for a “Siri Software Engineer, Health, and Wellness” in Santa Clara, California. The job posting was discovered by News.
The job requires a unique skill set. Basically, the organization is looking for a computer scientist who knows algorithms and can write complicated code, but also understands human interaction, has empathy, and communicates ably, willingly in more than one language. The role also ensures a singular thrill: to “play a part in the next cycle in human-computer interaction.”
The post doesn’t note that, but it’s obvious from the job information that it also offers lots of fodder for a science fiction writer with a Ballardian bent. If this skilled, compassionate, emotionally intelligent supercomputer scientist also happens to be literary, we can look ahead to a great but creepy tale someday, too, aside from a more intelligent assistant.
Computer scientists producing artificial intelligence have long discussed what it means to be human and how to make tools more compassionate. Apart from the technical difficulties, the endeavor raises ethical difficulties, as noted in the 2012 MIT Press book Robot Ethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Robotics.
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