November 11, 2012

Animating Siri.

I was holding off on installing iOS6 on my iPad but finally caved cuz I need it to check the development progress of my Pickle Weasel app. No sooner had I done so when a voice emerged from behind the glass asking if I needed help with anything. It was Siri - the intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator.

It wasn't long before the 12 year old boy had commandeered the iPad and began to explore the entity.



He was leaning towards deep and philosophical questions about life.



Naturally, Siri responded with information.



I thought the boy was being a little rude to Siri and began to reprimand him. I worried that her feelings were getting hurt...as if she was real.



But she stayed cool and even gave back some cheek.



I can't help but attach emotional reactions to such things.

Maybe it's because I'm an animator, but when I heard Siri's voice, I thought I detected subtle nuances of feelings. Eagerness, sarcasm, and even sadness. I was compelled to draw her, to give her a face - and once drawn...well, then she is alive. For what is an "animator" if not someone who breathes life into drawings?

I may explore Siri's personality a bit more. Meanwhile, what do you think about artificial intelligence?


13 comments:

  1. I love how you have Siri giving him the finger at the end, LOL! I think that you have animated "her" perfectly :)

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  2. So funny, I didn't notice the finger until I read Kat's comment above.

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    1. I can't put anything past Kat. She's got sharp eyes.

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  3. It's not just because you're an animator. I'm constantly trying to reconcile in my brain what Siri would look like. The closest analogy I've settled on is that Siri looks like Keira Knightly but shorter and more stuck-up. Like Keira Knightly if she were on Downton Abbey.

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    1. I find it interesting that we have a need to believe she's human. Or real in some way.

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  4. I LOVE this. I'm not sure what Siri would look like either but yeah, she'd be giving my son the finger most of the time too. :)

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    1. HAH! Cheeky lads. They'd have a lot less fun with a male voice.

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  5. My wife recently won an iPad. She was playing around with Siri and jokingly asked it if I was horny. Siri responded with a list of hotels in our area. Good thing the kids were asleep or we'd have had to explain what was so funny.

    BTW, there's a list called 100 Things To Ask Siri. Google it. There are some fun things on there to ask Siri.

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    1. HA!!! That's hilarious. I may hold off on checking that link though, just cuz I want to explore and discover with innocence at first.

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  6. I'm so curious to see what she'll say next, so I understand your daughter's delight.

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  7. You not only beautifully breathe life into drawings, but as a public speaker , you breathe life into the crowd drawing them in while making them laugh, learn and smile. Brilliant Siri ! I love it. "Siri, isn't JC little Awesome?"

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    1. Ha. She'd say, "Would you like me to search the web for jay seelidd lawsum?"

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Cuz You Rocketh.