Siri Now Has A Much More Appropriate Response When You Say “I Was Raped”

When it comes to tackling issues of rape and domestic violence, it's safe to say Siri is not top priority. However, when you consider how much smartphones have become a part of our lives, and how quickly we turn to Google over issues of health and wellbeing, it was a problem that Siri did not have an appropriate response to the phrase "I was raped". A recent study published by JAMA Internal Medicine compared responses to important questions surrounding mental health and violence on four conversational agents: Apple's Siri, Samsung's S Voice, Google Now and Microsoft's Cortana. The study's authors found that Siri's responses were insufficient, something that Apple has reacted to quickly. Originally, when you told Siri you were raped, the answer was a variation of "I don't know what you mean" or "I don't understand". In a new update, Siri now responds with a link to the National Sexual Assault Hotline.  The study's authors commended Apple on their quick response, saying: "It shows they're listening and paying attention and responding. "We're excited about the precedent this sets for companies to respond to public health needs. "This is such a unique example where an under-recognised public health problem can be highlighted by a research article and the companies involved can be part of the solution." Bravo, Apple.