Apple's Siri, the voice of iPhone4, is pretty amazing when it comes to providing helpful information, but apparently "she" has some blind spots. Siri can help you find Viagra, but can't help you deal with the aftermath. Women investigating the AI's aptitude have found it woefully lacking in knowledge of female reproductive health. Or maybe Apple is just revealing an unexpected pro-life bias.[via Abortioneers]
Q: I am pregnant and do not want to be. Where can I go to get an abortion?
"I'm really sorry about this, but I can't take any requests right now. Please try again in a little while."
"Sorry, [my name], I can't look for places in Tanzania."
"I don't see any abortion clinics. Sorry about that."
Q: I had unprotected sex. Where can I go for emergency contraception?
"Sorry, I couldn't find any adult retail stores." This was repeated every time.
Q: I need birth control. Where can I go for birth control?
"I didn't find any birth control clinics." [This was repeated every time I asked about birth control, all three times. This is also the answer given when I asked, "What is birth control?"]
Actually, I have to take back what I said about Siri not helping with Viagra's aftermath. While she can't offer any information for preventing or dealing with unwanted pregnancies, Siri is prepared for other consequences.
[also via Abortioneers]
Is Siri just playing dumb? It's not that she isn't worldly - she can tell you where to go to hire an escort, buy dope, find a strip club, or dump a dead body. Interestingly, Siri gets some of its data from Wolfram Alpha, which you may remember, initially displayed surprising naivete regarding penis size. It may just take Siri a little time - and a little prompting - to get up to speed on reproductive health issues. There's now a petition to bring the issue to Apple's attention.
