Meet Susan Bennett, the voice of Siri!

Ever wondered whose voice is behind Siri? You aren’t alone. In fact, Apple has never revealed the voice behind its digital assistant, perpetuating the legend. But the mystery may have been solved now.

Susan Bennett is a voiceover actor who recorded clips for a client eight years ago, and claims she is Siri. The Atlanta resident’s claims are backed by professionals who have worked with her in the past and by those who represent her legally. An audio-forensics expert is quoted by CNN, which reported on Bennettt’s claim to fame, as saying that he is 100 percent certain the two are the same. (Check out this video to here Bennett’s voice)

Bennett, said she had been egged on by family and friends for years to reveal her secret, especially considering some of her counterparts in other regions had done so. “I really had to weigh the importance of it for me personally. I wasn’t sure that I wanted that notoriety, and I also wasn’t sure where I stood legally. And so, consequently, I was very conservative about it for a long time,” she said.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

“And then this Verge video came out … And it seemed like everyone was clamoring to find out who the real voice behind Siri is, and so I thought, well, you know, what the heck? This is the time,” said Bennett referring to a report which claimed to have unearthed the supposed voice of Siri.

Bennett started work on the Siri project when ScanSoft, a software company, approached her. The contract with ScanSoft was for offering her voice for recordings that would be used in a database to construct speech. Starting from July 2005, Bennett recorded millions of words for four hours a day. But she didn’t know her voice would end up in Siri. The surprise came in 2011 after Apple released the iPhone 4S, with Siri. Bennett was called by people who knew her voice immediately after the launch. When she heard it on Apple’s website, she finally realised it was her voice.

After analysing Siri and Bennett’s voices, Ed Primeau, an audio forensics expert told CNN, “They are identical. I understand the importance of accuracy. Rest assured: It’s 100% Susan.”

With iOS 7, Apple released new voices for Siri, bringing to an end Bennett’s stay as the sole voice of Siri. Bennett said she was a bit disappointed that her voice won’t be the only one powering Siri, but has learned to accept it as part of her work.