logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2016
11m 40s

Becoming the voice of Siri… by accident?

DALLAS TAYLOR
About this episode

When Siri launched in 2011, she permanently changed the way people interacted with their technology. What was it like to be the voice behind that voice? And how did they make that voice come to life? Featuring the original voice of Siri, voice actor Susan Bennett, and Director of Speech to Text Technology for Nuance, Dr. Andrew Breen.


Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound and hosted by Dallas Taylor.

Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.

Consider supporting the show at donate.20k.org

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/siri

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Jul 2
The Music of Jeopardy! From a Lullaby to $100,000,000
It’s the most recognizable TV theme in America. But Jeopardy’s “Think Music” wasn’t originally written for a game show… It was written for a toddler. In this episode, we trace the unlikely journey of the Jeopardy theme, from Merv Griffin’s living room to over 10,000 episodes acro ... Show More
26m 10s
Jun 18
Sound Off: Siren Calls, Medical Melodies & Missing Frequencies
Twenty Thousand Hertz is proud to present the first short story collection from our Sound Off competition, featuring six bite-sized pieces written and produced entirely by our listeners. From the dawn of recording to the sonic secrets of thunder, from mythic sirens to melodic med ... Show More
34m 2s
May 28
I interviewed 5 other Dallas Taylors and things got weird
Your name isn’t just a label. It’s a signal to everyone who meets you, filled with meaning that you may not fully understand. In this story, Dallas revisits one of the most surreal experiences of his life: tracking down five other people who share his exact name. What follows is ... Show More
46m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
New Siri. Who’s This?
On today’s episode of Spectacular Vernacular, Nicole and Ben talk about the new Siri voices. They also interview Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne, hosts of Lingthusiasm, a podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics. And finally, they put a listener’s anagram skills to the t ... Show More
37m 42s
Oct 2020
The Siri Story: Joining Apple
How did Siri evolve once it became part of Apple? From controversial decisions, dramatic departures and reviews that were, well, mixed, we look at Siri's evolution since 2011. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for ... Show More
48m 56s
Oct 2020
Happy Anniver-Siri
Apple introduced Siri to the public on October 4, 2011, but the story of Siri goes further back and beyond Apple. We learn about how Siri evolved from a US Department of Defense project in the early 2000s. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSe ... Show More
50m 33s
Jun 2022
I Became A Billionaire After Listening To Siri
It was another boring Sunday, I had spent the whole day lazing around and watching tv. There was nothing much else to do, I decided to pick up my phone and have some fun with Siri. I liked trying to think up silly things to ask her.“Hey Siri, do you love me?”“I don’t know how to ... Show More
10m 43s
Mar 2021
BONUS: International Women's Day Special with Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, Rose McGowan and more
For International Women's Day we bring to you a special bonus episode of our award-winning podcast, How I Found My Voice presented by the BBC journalist Samira Ahmed. This episode features clips from some of our favourite female interviewees including novelists Margaret Atwood, B ... Show More
51m 8s
Oct 2022
In Machines We Trust: AI finds its voice
Synthetic voice technologies are increasingly passing as human. But today’s voice assistants are still a far cry from the hyper-intelligent thinking machines we’ve been musing about for decades. In this episode, we explore how machines learn to communicate—and what it means for t ... Show More
27m 20s
Apr 2021
In Machines We Trust: AI finds its voice
Synthetic voice technologies are increasingly passing as human. But today’s voice assistants are still a far cry from the hyper-intelligent thinking machines we’ve been musing about for decades. In this episode, we explore how machines learn to communicate—and what it means for t ... Show More
27m 52s
Sep 2021
Meet Avatar's Voice Director Andrea Romano
Get ready for an amazing look inside the world of Avatar voice acting and directing with the legendary Andrea Romano! Join Janet and Dante as ATLA and TLOK’s Voice Director Andrea Romano treats them to a fascinating, in-depth and delightful conversation about her work on the othe ... Show More
46m 58s
Jul 2016
The Untold Story Behind GPS Girl and the Voice of Siri.
How did an Australian woman who wanted to be the next Olivia Newton-John become the voice of SIRI and the confident giver of directions in than 400 million GPS and smart-enabled devices?Also known as “GPS Girl,” today’s guest, Karen Jacobsen, never saw her device-enabled voice-fu ... Show More
54 m