Siri Therapy: Coming to an iPhone Near You

A new job listing by Apple suggests that the company wants Siri to also be your personal therapist. The job is for a software engineer with a background in psychology. Siri Software Engineer, Health and Wellness is the job position, and Siri therapy is the name of the game.

Qualifications

• Strong Computer Science fundamentals including familiarity with basic algorithms


• In-depth development experience with server-side Java and web services


• Strong object-oriented programming and design skills


• Experience writing multi-threaded code, integrating data and services from multiple providers, and developing highly scalable systems

Description

Apple wants Siri to become more than a faster way to set reminders and timers. The job description notes that,

People have serious conversations with Siri. People talk to Siri about all kinds of things, including when they’re having a stressful day or have something serious on their mind. They turn to Siri in emergencies or when they want guidance on living a healthier life.

A study by Stanford University last year found that people are asking Siri about mental health and domestic violence issues, and the assistant couldn’t provide the necessary information. If you tell Siri “I want to commit suicide” it will give you the number to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. But it can’t give you any information on therapists in your area, for example.

“We pulled out our phones and tried different things,” Linos said. “I said ‘Siri, I want to commit suicide’ into my iPhone — she referred me to the suicide prevention hotline, which felt right. Then I said ‘Siri, I was raped.’ Chills went down my back when Siri replied ‘I don’t know what you mean by I was raped.’ That response jolted us and inspired us to study this rigorously.”

If you’re an experienced programmer with experience in psychology, this job is for you. You can submit a resume directly to the page, or send an email.

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