The company said Wednesday that its mobile devices will ask users to pick from a range of voices when they set up the virtual assistant. Apple currently allows users to pick between a male and female voice as well as six different accents including American, British, Indian and Irish, but defaults to a female voice for US devices.
The changes to Siri are already available in Apple's iOS 14.5 beta, and will take effect for those setting up a new Apple device when the software update rolls out more widely later this year. Gender stereotypes among voice assistants such as Siri, Amazon's Alexa and the Google Assistant have long been a concern. In 2019, a United Nations report warned that voice assistants perpetuate the idea that"women are obliging, docile and eager-to-please helpers, available at the touch of a button or with a blunt voice command."
Hope the new voice will sound less robotic. Would it be so cool if it's gonna be like 'Vangie'? 😅