Do I really need... a robot running my life?

What does it do?

In IOS 12, the upcoming software for iphones and ipads, improvements to the Siri voice assistant focus on actively suggesting things it could do to help you, rather than waiting for you to give a command. Other companies developing virtual assistants also want them to be more proactive, using machine learning to analyse your activity and offer help.

Why would I want it?

When PCS arrived in the early 1980s, they had a fixed list of functions. Over time this got a lot longer, but the model never really changed. Now that we can ask assistants questions, a logical next step is for them to suggest without prompting what else they could do. It makes even more sense when they can analyse our data. For example, Siri in IOS 12 will detect your contacts who appear in a photo you’ve taken, and offer to send it to them (see screenshot).

What’s the catch?

Apart from the risk of being nagged to do things, it could get creepy. One Apple developer who installed the beta of IOS 12 was surprised when Siri suggested he should activate Do Not Disturb mode while having dinner with his brother. He hadn’t told Siri he was meeting his brother; the software had worked it out from data on his phone. Spooky.

So can I do without it?

Undoubtedly, but people previously said that about smartphones, and look at us now. Once we start letting invisible butlers organise our lives, we may come to rely on them.