A cool story that came up on BBC a few days ago. A four years old boy noticed that his mother has lost consciousness (and no, we do not know the cause). Scared but surprisingly prudential boy unlocked his mum’s phone by putting her finger against the screen. When Siri, an AI assistant housed in iPhone smartphones, asked what it can do for him, boy asked it for help. Soon after, an emergency service came in and saved the woman.

Mind the details here – little boy did not tell Siri to ”call 999” or to ”contact an emergency service”. Small, scared boy probably said something like ”mummy isn’t breathing, please help”, and Siri understood and acted accordingly. Putting aside the case of an artificial inteligence and whether or not it will be safe to have around, this case is a prime example of how modern technology is not only gadgets and gimmicks and headaches, but also an actual help in day to day life.