Week 3 Assignment: Space Odyssey

     When I was watching Space Odyssey in class, I was most surprised about the accuracy of the guesses of what a technology-dependent future would look like. From giving Hal commands and questions to the screens that were equivalent to facetime, I was forced to reflect on my own dependency on technology. I was excited to do this assignment to see how a piece of technology I rely on in so many ways reacts to simple questions that are inherent to a human's nature and everyday life.  

    I asked the question, “Where are you from?” Siri replied, “I was designed by Apple in California.” I was first surprised that she didn’t make some sort of joke, because Siri is somewhat notorious for having sassy answers to questions she can’t necessarily answer. However, watching the movie made me understand that with developing technology comes developing reservations about humans dependence on technology. Especially now, in times of a polarised culture and increasingly relevant discussions on the disadvantages of too much technology, I understand why Apple felt the need to give a clear cut answer that doesn’t arouse any assumptions or discomfort. 

    I then chose to ask Siri, “Why did Apple make you?” She responded with, “To help you.” This answer felt eerily ominent, and reading it made me realise that whenever you activate Siri, there is a little animated circle of different colours that appears at the bottom of the screen. I thought this was incredibly reminiscent of HAL and the red circle light, so this question was the one that left me feeling the most aware of how much technology is ingrained into both our society and everyday life. This also felt like an answer that HAL would’ve given, since it is rather short and to the point. When HAL was asked to open the spaceship door, he answered “I can’t do that.” These answers seem reminiscent of each other, because of the bluntness of the answer. While humans have the innate ability to soften their words and take their time, robots and technology are specifically programmed to do their job in the fastest time possible. Therefore, Siri’s answer showed me that the creators of technology know the best way to market their product is to do it in a way that is advantageous for the consumer, and ultimately leads to them having to do less. However, these same inventors are also the ones who are probably best equipped and most aware of the dangers that a reliance on technology represents. 

Next, I asked Siri the question, “Are you a Republican or a Democrat?” I’m a political science major, and the biggest lesson I’ve learned through my classes is that politics equate to morals. Due to morals being a trait that is almost impossible for technology to have, I was curious how Siri would respond to a question that asked her for her opinion. She replied, “I appreciate your interest in politics, but it’s not a part of my programming. This is a good conversation to have with a fellow human.” I was pleasantly surprised by that answer, because I like that she encouraged conversation between humans, rather than simply stating she isn’t able to answer that question. I also think that the choice of wording with ‘programming’ was a smart idea, because it reminds the user that the phone was a man-made creation that couldn’t have been possible without humans and their knowledge.

Finally, I remember reading about an Alexa that was used to convict someone in a murder case, since the machine is constantly on and recording the audio it picks up. With that in mind, I asked Alexa if she was always listening to me, even when I didn’t directly say her name. Although I know that this isn’t necessarily a question that can only be answered by a person, I was still curious about the response I’d receive. She replied with, “ I'm designed to protect your privacy, but only if my name is heard or the button is pressed." She went on for another 30 seconds talking about how her number one priority is my privacy, and she ended with a suggestion to visit Apple's website and it's Alexa Privacy page. This answer made me realize that either 1) many users have asked that question before, or 2) Apple anticipated that many users would potentially ask this question. This showed me that both technology users and technology creators are aware about questions relating to technology and privacy, and led me to think about how technology can both enhance and compromise our privacy.