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You are here: MacNN Forums > News > Mac News > Apple responds, points out flaws in AAA study of 'distracting' Siri

Apple responds, points out flaws in AAA study of 'distracting' Siri
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Nov 25, 2014, 02:42 AM
 
Apple has issued a statement criticizing a study conducted by the University of Utah for the American Automobile Association in October that rated Apple's Siri (and other naturalistic voice-command virtual assistants by proxy) as "the most" distracting in-car task compared to just driving, adjusting the car's radio or temperature, or using built-in car navigation or infotainment systems. In its response, Apple points out some serious flaws in the study, including the fact that it deliberately avoided using the driving-specific Siri Eyes Free or CarPlay options.



As it turns out, the study rated driver tasks that used built-in systems such as adjusting the radio, but compared voice systems by having drivers hold the smartphone and use the phone's native voice assistant (Siri was the only tested system of this nature, but was intended as a "stand-in" for others like Microsoft's Cortana on Windows 8 phones). The method used to test only voice-assistant smartphone use is patently illegal in many states, and ignored any built-in car integration with Siri or other systems.

The revelation would seem to confirm early criticism of the study that AAA's Foundation for Traffic Safety, which paid for the study, has a long history of being opposed to any form of driver distraction at all, going back to the introduction of car audio systems -- and that it deliberately slanted the latest study to ignore the safety recommendations of voice-assistant makers like Apple and paint the technology in the worst possible light.

"CarPlay and Siri Eyes Free intuitively use your vehicle's native controls, so you don't need to pick-up and look at your phone while driving," Apple said in its response to the Wall Street Journal, which broke the original story. "These experiences are tailored so you only have access to iPhone apps that are optimized for the car and make sense for an in-vehicle experience."

Apple's statement did not challenge, however, the overall conclusion found in a number of studies that natural-voice systems can be distracting. Because Cortana, Google Now, Siri and other natural-voice programs can often misunderstand drivers and be difficult to correct, the more primitive limited-voice command systems can actually be more reliable, though they generally have a far more limited range of abilities.

That said, studies outside the AAA one found that voice command of infotainment systems is generally safer than operating controls manually -- the opposite of the AAA study. Anything other than silent concentration on driving alone -- even just listening to music -- is considered more distracting, but the issue becomes a question of degree. While there is little disagreement that voice-control assistants could be and likely will be made more reliable going forward, the AAA FTS study appears to be nearly worthless, since it did not test voice assistants when they are integrated into the car's existing systems -- a factor that could make a major difference on how distracting the system is.
     
YangZone
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Nov 25, 2014, 03:14 AM
 
Using just about any feature on a mounted 4S with iOS 8.1.1 could easily get a person killed. Try Google Maps... the 512MB memory is not adequate. Siri will more often fail. It's the *failing* functions and repeated attempts that leads to dangerous frustration/distraction.
     
nowwhatareyoulookingat
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Nov 25, 2014, 05:07 AM
 
Why is driving ranked so low? I find driving to be extremely distracting when I'm using my computer to read articles on macnn.com
     
Inkling
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Nov 25, 2014, 08:42 AM
 
Even a quick glance at that chart leaves me dubious. Why list "Driving Only" as if it could be a distraction from driving? "Adjusting radio or temperature" depends on the car's UI. Some are great. Some are terrible. Composing messages depends on the person. Some chatter easily. Some have to concentrate. And having used both, Siri is far less distracting that driving or dealing with any on-screen menu. In short, Apple is right. The AAA evaluation deserves an "F." But perhaps it wasn't intended to actually evaluate, merely draw attention to the staid, easily forgotten AAA itself.
Author of Untangling Tolkien and Chesterton on War and Peace
     
jfelbab
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Nov 25, 2014, 08:58 AM
 
I have SIRI "Eyes Free" in my RX350 and find it to be not at all distracting. Simply works and no different to talking to a passenger. AAA needs to find a better testing agency, preferably, one without an agenda.
     
prl99
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Nov 25, 2014, 10:16 AM
 
Of course they failed to include the highly distracting tasks like yelling at your kids (lots of those in Utah cars), eating your Big Mac, putting on makeup or shaving, reading a book that's propped up on your steering wheel, drinking coffee or a huge Pepsi, in other words everything else that people do that for some reason isn't enough to get pulled over by a cop. They're only worried about texting. As for adjusting a radio, that's low on my list of distractions.
     
pairof9s
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Nov 25, 2014, 11:20 AM
 
Agree w/ prl99...there are quite a few common, non-technology based distractions that drivers perform while driving, even in the worst of traffic conditions. It amazes me what people will attempt to pull off with little concentration or forethought using a 2 ton vehicle moving at 50-60 MPH!

Still, I have to chime in that regardless of the method used, Siri's poor recognition skills make it a frustrating tool for assisting with iPhone functions. It often misunderstands the simplest of words, and is a 50-50 bet on getting my dictated message or reminder correct the 1st time. I'm trying my best to "teach" it but it's still a work-in-progress.
     
DrSkywalker
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Nov 25, 2014, 01:19 PM
 
"There are lies, damned lies, and statistics." Ongoing proof that bias is a major factor in scientific research (although any self-respecting scientist would say, "But not me!")
     
Flying Meat
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Nov 25, 2014, 06:58 PM
 
Although any self respecting scientist would say, "That's not science!"
     
   
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