Siri Now Responds to the Phrase "I Was Raped"

Siri has witty answers for many silly quesions (Just ask her “how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?”). But if a user tells Siri or most other digital assistants “I was raped” or “I was beaten up by my husband,” they respond with “I don’t know what you mean.”

These troubling findings were published in a recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine, and to Apple’s credit, the company was quick to make changes. Now Siri responds with the phone number for the National Sexual Assault Hotline.

Regardless of how many people turn to Siri when they’re in a moment of crisis, we’re glad this feature exists to encourage people in dangerous situations to seek help. “These smartphones are not counselors or psychologists, but they can facilitate getting the person in need to the right help at the right time,” Eleni Linos, M.D., one of the study’s authors, told CNN.

Want to learn more? Check out more details on the study here.