The original voice of Siri, Susan Bennett, initially had mixed feelings about being the voice behind the popular virtual assistant but eventually embraced the opportunity and became a public figure.
Text-to-speech technology has advanced to create synthetic voices with enhanced expressiveness, enabling more nuanced emotions and personalized interactions in the future.
Deep dives
The Rise of Siri
Siri, the first interactive, automated personal assistant, was launched by Apple in 2011 with the iPhone 4S. It revolutionized the way people thought about their phones and technology, becoming an integral part of their daily interactions. Susan Bennett, the original voice of Siri, initially had mixed feelings about being the voice behind the popular virtual assistant. However, she eventually embraced the opportunity and became a public figure, making appearances on television shows and even meeting Steve Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple.
Recording the Voice of Siri
The recording process for Siri involved capturing hours of speech from Susan Bennett, the voice actor. The phrases she had to read often included nonsensical lines created solely for sound. The recording sessions required articulation and consistency, and sometimes words were elided together. After the recordings, voice manipulation techniques were applied to make Siri's voice sound more robotic and less human. Although Siri's voice has evolved over time, Susan Bennett's iconic voice laid the foundation for the voice assistant we know today.
Advancements in Text-to-Speech Technology
Text-to-speech technology has come a long way in generating synthetic voices that sound more human. Through automatic processes, recorded phrases are transcribed, segmented, and aligned to form coherent words and sentences. The goal is to create voices with enhanced expressiveness, enabling more nuanced emotions and personalized interactions. As technology continues to advance, the possibilities for synthetic voices seem limitless, promising more natural and human-like interactions in the future.
When Siri launched in 2011, she permanently changed the way people interacted with their technology. What was it like to be the voice behind that voice? And how did they make that voice come to life? Featuring the original voice of Siri, voice actor Susan Bennett, and Director of Speech to Text Technology for Nuance, Dr. Andrew Breen.