Here’s what Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa say when asked about Black Lives Matter
In the midst of a worldwide cultural movement sparked by the death of a black man in police custody late May, your AI voice assistants will now answer questions on “Black Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter”
The voice assistants from Apple, Google and Amazon have all been programmed to answer questions on the phrase that has been the root of worldwide protests.
When asking Apple’s Siri about Black Lives Matter, it simply responds, “Yes, Black lives matter.” It also provides a link to BlackLivesMatter.com.
Siri gives a more detailed answer when asked “Do all lives matter?” It responds by saying, “’All Lives Matter’ is often used in response to the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter,’ but it does not represent the same concerns. To learn more about the Black Lives Matter human rights movement, visit BlackLivesMatter.com.”
The phrase “Black Lives Matter” first gained steam on Twitter in 2013, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old. As it grew in prominence, so did the response of “All Lives Matter,” which some activists say takes away the spotlight on specific issues facing the black community in the U.S.
Google Assistant also gives similar answers to questions on the two phrases.
“Black lives matter. Black people deserve the same freedoms afforded to everyone in this country, and recognizing the injustice they face is the first step towards fixing it,” the assistant says, according to the blog 9to5Google.com.
When asked “Do all lives matter?” Google Assistant explains, “Saying ‘Black lives matter’ doesn’t mean all lives don’t. It means Black lives are at risk in ways others are not.”
Amazon’s Alexa gives a poignant response to the question. It says, “Black lives matter. I think everyone deserves to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect.” Alexa provides a similar answer when asking the question regarding all lives.
Each of the company’s CEOs have addressed racism in the past week.
Apple’s Tim Cook penned an open letter on the topic, saying that it’s time to stand together.
“We’ve seen progress since the America I grew up in, but it is similarly true that communities of color continue to endure discrimination and trauma,” he wrote.
Google’s Sundar Pichai said the company would be donating $12 million “to organizations working to address racial inequities.” Google’s employees also had an 8 minute, 46-second moment of silence last week. That time is how long former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, before his death that set off worldwide protests, video from the scene shows.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos shared an email exchange with a customer Friday who voiced displeasure that the company’s website had a “Black lives matter” inscription. The customer, whose named was blurred out, told Bezos: “For your company to blast this on your website is very offensive to me and I’m sure you’ll be hearing from others. ALL LIVES MATTER!”
Part of Bezos response read, “I have to disagree with you. ‘Black lives matter’ doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter. Black lives matter speaks to racism and the disproportionate risk that Black people face in our law enforcement and justice system.
“I have a 20-year-old son, and I simply don’t worry that he might be choked to death while being detained one day,” he continued. “It’s not something I worry about. Black parents can’t say the same.”
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Here’s what Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa say when asked about Black Lives Matter."