Hey Hackers!


Welcome back to 3 Tech Polls, HackerNoon's Weekly Newsletter that curates results from our Poll of the Week, and 2 related polls around the web. Thanks for voting and helping us shape these important conversations!


This week, we're talking about AI voice and tone. Recently, OpenAI introduced new controls that allow users to adjust how ChatGPT sounds, including its warmth and enthusiasm. The move comes after concerns that overly expressive AI might encourage emotional reliance or blur the line between tool and companion. The idea? Give users control over the AI’s personality instead of deciding for them.


We'll also look at predictions around Apple's Siri partnerships and AI authorship in academia.


Vote in this week’s poll: Was 2025 the “Death of the Generalist AI”?


🔥 This Week’s Poll Results

How do you want your AI to sound when it talks to you?


The results reveal HackerNoon has a pragmatic community more focused on utility than personality.


"Don't care about tone. Just be accurate" dominated with 31% of votes, suggesting that for many users, correctness trumps charisma.


Following closely behind, "Friendly" captured 23% of the vote.


"Neutral" took third place with 18%, while "Professional" and "Expressive" tied for fourth place at 14% respectively.


Overall, the results suggest users want AI to be accurate and reliable above all else, with human-like tone valued only when it enhances clarity and approachability.


The HackerNoon community has spoken: when it comes to AI communication, substance matters more than style—though a friendly touch doesn't hurt.


Want to say your piece? Share your thoughts on the poll results here.


🌐 From Around the Web: Polymarket Pick

Apple Siri partnership with OpenAI/Anthropic by December 31?


Apple's Siri has long lagged behind competitors in AI capabilities, prompting speculation about potential partnerships with leading AI companies.


Polymarket voters are nearly unanimous in their skepticism of whether Apple will team up with OpenAI or Anthropic to supercharge Siri before the year ends or not.


Only 1% believe Apple will announce a partnership with either OpenAI or Anthropic to power Siri by December 21, 2025, while 99% expect no such announcement.


The market's conviction is striking especially given that Apple has already announced a Siri partnership with Google Gemini, effectively closing the door on OpenAI and Anthropic for this iteration of Siri.


🌐From Around The Web: Kalshi Pick

Will a paper with AI as an author be published this year?


The question of AI authorship has sparked heated debates in academia. Kalshi voters are betting on whether any of the major machine learning conferences will publish a paper listing an AI as an author before 2026.


The market shows overwhelming skepticism.


Only 4% of traders believe such a paper will be published by the year's end, while 96% say it won't happen.


The pessimism likely reflects both the explicit policies of these conferences and broader academic norms around authorship, which typically require contributors to take responsibility for their work—something AI cannot do.


The low probability suggests that while AI tools are transforming research, the academic community isn't ready to grant them formal author status, at least, not yet.


The internet has spoken: when it comes to AI voice, accuracy clearly outweighs personality. Apple chose Google over OpenAI and Anthropic for Siri. And while AI continues to reshape research, granting it formal authorship remains a bridge too far for academia.


That's all for this week.


Until next time, Hackers!