Siri interrupts UK minister's speech in parliament

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Apple’s assistant Siri got into the act in the British Parliament on Tuesday, interrupting Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson in the House of Commons when he delivered a statement about Islamic State terrorism in Syria.

“Siri” is the first two syllables of “Syria.” So Siri started to offer information when it mistakenly thought a request had been made. “I found something on the web for Syria, Syrian democratic forces supported by premonition,” the assistant blurted out.

Williamson looked around in surprise and touched his pocket to catch the sound.

The netizens’ comments on Twitter. /Twitter Photo

“What a very rum business that is,” Speaker John Bercow interjected amid the laughs. “It’s an intervention.”

Williamson did an apology and said, “It’s very rare that you are heckled by your own mobile phone. It is a new parliamentary convention without a doubt.”

The incident sparked a hot controversy on Twitter.

Not everyone thought that is funny or just an incident. Some people were more concerned about the security of a defense secretary carrying a device that can eavesdrop.

Some people, such as the BBC's political editor, were concerned about the security implications of the incident. /Twitter Photo

This is not the first time that Siri interrupted a serious conversation. In early April, the assistant’s voice also spoke out on Tory minister Jo Johnson’s microphone during an episode of BBC Question Time.

The Transport Minister was discussing the Cabinet’s discussions on military intervention in Syria. Johnson was surprised and embarrassed for a moment, before declaring “this is technology interfering.”

A source close to Williamson dismissed the risk, saying he did not carry the phone into “confidential and sensitive meetings,” BBC reported.