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Siri, Why Do You Think John Travolta Is Dead?

Users in the UK, Poland, and Australia who asked Siri how old the actor is received a surprising response: 'John Travolta died 3 January 2009 at age 54.'

By Angela Moscaritolo
December 6, 2017
Siri icon

Siri has a lot of answers, but you can't always believe them.

Apple's virtual assistant was caught this week spreading the fake news that actor John Travolta has died, according to Business Insider. Users in the UK, Poland, and Australia who asked Siri how old the actor is received a surprising response: "John Travolta died 3 January 2009 at age 54."

In reality, John Travolta did not die at the age of 54. He's still alive and kicking at 63 years old.

"It looks like the error was caused by Siri misreading news reports of the death of Travolta's son Jett, who did die on January 3, 2009," Business Insider reported. The news outlet contacted Apple about the issue and the Cupertino tech giant promised to fix it.

Here at PCMag's US offices, Siri gave us the correct response: the actor is 63 years old, indicating that the Cupertino tech giant has already fixed the problem.

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Meanwhile, this isn't the first time Siri has spread misinformation. According to CNET, the digital assistant was recently telling people that the national anthem of Bulgaria was the Justin Bieber-backed hit "Despacito."

And to be fair, Siri isn't the only imperfect virtual assistant out there. Earlier this year, Google Home ($99.00 at Target) was telling people Barack Obama might "be in bed with the communist Chinese" and "may in fact be planning a communist coup d'état at the end of his term in 2016."

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About Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

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