Alexa and Siri, Can't You Be More #AI?

These days, I’m more apt to reach for Perplexity.ai Pro app over Siri or Alexa to answer questions.

Alexa and Siri…Not So Awesome

I don’t want to call them “dumb,” I only find myself wishing for a more knowledgeable conversational response. When will Siri and Alexa get it together and blend AI level functioning into their voice interactions?

Alexa’s Annoying Attribute

One of Alexa’s annoying attributes is not responding to a question that involves products from other vendors. If it’s not Amazon or Amazon Prime, I’m less likely to get a response. If the question is judged as politically incorrect, Alexa will defer its response or avoid the question altogether.

Worse, Alexa is now answering questions I haven’t asked, or is unable to process the detail of my question as an internet search that yields results. For the first time in a long time, I considered throwing my Alexa Echo dots in the trash.

Siri’s Sappy Solicitude

Where Alexa refuses to answer questions, Siri is quick to respond but then provides a list of links or web searches. Often, I’m unsatisfied with the quality of the response. These days, I’m more likely to just do the web search myself than depend on Siri to serve as my intermediary.

When will these two get their act together? Both are promising change: