Apple Will Stop Defaulting Siri’s Female-sounding Voice by Adding Two New Voices

Apple will soon stop defaulting Siri to a female-sounding voice, and will add two new English language voices to its Siri voice assistant in an upcoming version of its iPhone software, the company said on Wednesday. Users will be able to choose from four voices for Siri, which will no longer default to a female voice in the U.S.

Apple 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. (In some countries, such as the UK, Siri defaults to a male voice.)

“We’re excited to introduce two new Siri voices for English speakers and the option for Siri users to select the voice they want when they set up their device,” Apple said in a statement. “This is a continuation of Apple’s long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion and products and services that are designed to better reflect the diversity of the world we live in.”

The changes to Siri arealready 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.

Digital assistants with default female voices have been scrutinized by researchers in recent years, with critics saying the choices reflect a male-dominated artificial intelligence industry and reinforce stereotypes. Most virtual assistants still default to a female voice, though users have the option to switch.

Gender stereotypes among voice assistants such as Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and 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.”

Apple’s iOS 14.5 will be a major update for iPhones. In addition to the new voices, it will add the ability to unlock a phone with an Apple Watch, new emojis including one that depicts a vaccine, and will include a privacy change restricting access to a device ID that mobile advertisers use.