Apple Inc. AAPL reportedly plans to overhaul the Siri virtual assistant, enabling users to control individual app functions using voice commands.
What Happened: The new system will allow Siri to take command of all the features within apps for the first time, reported Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman, citing people with knowledge of the matter. This significant change required a revamp of Siri’s underlying software using large language models, a core technology behind generative AI.
The AI overhaul will be a key feature of Apple’s renewed push into AI, which will be unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10. Other features in the pipeline include voice memo transcriptions and summaries, quick recaps of websites and notifications, automated message replies, advanced photo editing, and AI-generated emojis.
As part of the rollout, more basic AI tasks will be processed on the devices themselves, while more advanced capabilities will be handled via cloud computing. Initially, this feature will be limited to Apple’s apps and only handle one command at a time.
Eventually, it will start supporting multiple commands together. For instance, users could ask Siri to summarize a meeting and then send the summary via text or crop a photo and email it to a friend. It’s slated for release as part of a subsequent update to iOS 18, expected next year.
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Why It Matters: Apple aims to breathe new life into its pioneering Siri product with the upgrade, which aims to catch up with competing services. Siri was initially launched in 2011, granting Apple an early advantage in voice-based interfaces and AI. However, the company later lost ground to competitors like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, it was reported that Apple had struck a deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into iOS 18. According to Gurman, Apple remains in discussions with Google parent Alphabet Inc. regarding the potential use of its Gemini software in upcoming projects.
Analysts have also been bullish on Apple’s AI prospects, with Gene Munster predicting that the tech giant’s stock will outperform Nvidia over the next year due to its AI opportunity. Gurman also has previously suggested that Apple can become the biggest AI player overnight with the right moves.
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