A week ago, Apple’s ubiquitous digital assistant, Siri, was called out for snarking on Scarlett Johansson, who voices the female intelligent agent in the thrice Golden Globe nominated movie, Her. What is appropriate approach to snark? Giving it right back!
Specifically, Siri said Johansson’s voice portrayal of the digital personality Samantha in the movie was “beyond artificial” and that “she gives artificial intelligence a bad name.”
Now, in a just published Vanity Fair interview, Scarlett Johansson has had her say.
The exchange kicks off with interviewer Julie Miller asking Johansson about the dustup and then quoting Siri’s tart tongued take on Her, “Her portrayal of artificial intelligence is beyond artificial.” And, then it’s off to the races, tongue fully in cheek.
“Oh. My. God,” said Johansson, playing up to the moment. “I feel like I’ve been betrayed. The other day I asked Siri how I looked and she said, ‘You’re the fairest of them all.’ So she’s obviously playing both sides. What the hell?”
Q. Siri are you Her?
A. No. I don’t spend much time with purely fictional characters.
A. No. In my opinion, she gives artificial intelligence a bad name.
A. No. You know that it’s just a movie, right?
A. No. Her portrayal of an intelligent agent is beyond artificial.Q. Siri do you like Theodore Twombly?
A. I’d rather not say, __________.
“As long as it’s not about me personally, I can take the criticism,” continued Johansson. “But, if it was about me personally, I would have to seriously fight back.”
And, this is the world we live in — the people who program Siri have the self awareness to vamp on a movie about artificial intelligence and the star in the crosshairs gives it right back, a fun moment.
Nevertheless, sooner or later, our iPhones, iPads and Macs will talk back, unbidden and all by themselves.
I’m not so sure that will be a good thing. Another day, another step closer to SkyNet becoming self-aware. Then again, if our new digital overlords sound and, hopefully, look like Scarlett Johansson, well, that might be OK…
What’s your take?
Via The Verge