Hey, Siri! Meet the real people behind Apple's voice activated assistant

Many of us are familiar with Apple's iOS assistant - but have you ever thought about the lives behind the voice that answers your queries and requests?

Apple users are all familiar with Siri, the company's voice-activated personal assistant that helps out with everything from speed dialling, scheduling meetings and searching for directions. Users of iOS have had the privilege of Siri's help since its introduction as part of iOS 5 for the iPhone 4S in 2011, and the function was also added to the third-generation iPads a year later.

Since then Siri has become a firm favourite and often hits the news - for good and bad. Siri has befriended an autistic child, been accused of homophobia, fought for trans rights, mocked maths dunces, come out as a talented rapper and possibly inspired a Spike Jonze film (which Siri did not appreciate).