Apple's voice assistant Siri has been controversial among fans who do not know a thing or two about it. This fancy-sounding AI resembles a real person who usually asks you to do a household chore or a simple request.
Amid mysteries shrouding it, Siri's tone is conversational, especially for those who have a lot of time talking to it. For those familiar with this software, it's too easy to use.
Through the years, the Cupertino giant proved that it could elevate the game for Siri through its improved features. Behind this voice AI, we only knew a little about the real voice actor behind it.
If you want to know more about the person who speaks behind Siri, let's get into this article for a moment.
Real Voice Behind Siri
Before iPhones were launched, Siri came out to the market as early as 2005. Apple knew that looking for an ideal voice actor for it was challenging, but it later came out with the best contestant.
Siri's first voice lines were recorded 17 years ago. Around that time, people had been wondering who could be the sweet voice who spoke for this AI. Apparently, it took us many years before we witnessed the real woman who presented as Siri's actual voice.
According to a report by Slash Gear, in 2013, Susan Bennett, the voice behind the Apple assistant, confirmed his role to CNN.
Originally, Bennett said that this voice-acting project began back in July 2005. The 72-year-old woman admitted that she dedicated long hours of practice for the recording of this voice AI.
With the help of ScanSoft, she managed to finish the voice-acting project thanks to a five-day weekly practice.
Of course, we assumed that Apple originally created this voice AI, but that's not the case here. The tech titan had undergone first to a deal spearheaded by the late Steve Jobs.
Nuance Communications, which had been merged with ScanSoft, sold Siri to the iPhone maker. Apple used it first on the iPhone 4S to test its capabilities while under testing.
Related Article : New Apple Patent Reveals Siri's Upcoming Abilities: Whisper Mode and Tuning Voice Now Possible?
Apple Did Not Reveal Siri's Original Voice Actress
As a matter of fact, Apple has not announced any information regarding Siri's real VA. However, CNN tried to seek help from an audio forensics expert to check if Siri and Bennett's voice really matches.
According to this person, there's a 100% certainty that Susan and Siri's voice actually came from the same person. Despite doubts from the people, Bennett was pretty confident that she was indeed the real voice actress behind Apple's AI assistant.
To give you a short background about Bennett, the article wrote that she was indeed a professional voice actor who previously played Jacobsen and Briggs.
Interestingly, she is also the voice behind the Delta Airlines Terminals. In addition, her name was also included in the credits for several ads from companies such as McDonald's, Macy's, and Coca-cola. She even played as EMMA in "Persona 5 Strikers."
In October, Bennett expressed her desire to promote web accessibility, especially for people with disabilities. She admitted that she was not that good at using modern technology, but she believed that Siri helped many PWDs in using the advanced gadgets and items.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joseph Henry
