Apple’s unusual job opening for improving Siri

The Company is looking for resources capable of making its virtual assistant better at handling emergencies and saving lives.

The general perception is that people working at Apple are hard-core engineers, and this is true also. But the company has posted an unusual job opening on its web portal. It is looking for an engineer with a background in psychology, who can work on improving Siri, the voice-based virtual assistant, to respond to crises and health-related issues.

There is a growing dependence of people on voice assistants, for medical as well as other personal emergencies. Apple has found that people using Siri, share all kinds of things with it—talking about a bad or good day or serious issues plaguing their minds. Seeing this trend, it wishes to improve Siri’s responsiveness, so that it can better understand their problems and suggest solutions.

The job posted on its website states that Apple is looking for a candidate with BS/MS in computer science or equivalent, with more than five years of industry experience and having a peer counselling or psychology background. The candidate should possess excellent problem-solving abilities, critical thinking and communication skills. Experience with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) or machine learning is desired but not required, says the listing.

While the skill set necessary for the job is unusual, the new hire will add great value to the Siri team by helping save lives, and assisting them in hours of need.

In the recent past, Siri helped a four-year-old boy save his mother’s life, after she collapsed at their home in Kenley, Croydon. The boy used Siri to call up emergency services and the mother was saved due to the quick action from their end. This is just one of the many instances, where Siri has been used to rescue people.

Therefore, Apple is now looking to hire resources who can improve Siri’s ability to deal with emergencies.