Apple Inc. plans to overhaul its Siri virtual assistant with more advanced artificial intelligence, a move that will allow users to control individual app functions with their voice, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The new system will allow Siri to take control of all app functions for the first time, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the initiative is not public. That change required a revamp of Siri's underlying software using large language models, a core technology behind generative AI, and will be one of the highlights of Apple's renewed push into AI, they said.
The update is part of the company's larger AI strategy, which will be unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10. Apple is preparing several features, such as transcripts and summaries of voice notes, quick summaries of websites and notifications, automated and advanced message replies. photo editing and AI-generated emojis, Bloomberg reported.
As part of the launch, more basic AI tasks will be processed on the devices themselves, while more advanced capabilities will be handled through cloud computing. The company has also been forging a deal with OpenAI to integrate the startup's chatbot and other technologies into the iOS operating system, and remains in talks with Google parent Alphabet Inc. to use your Gemini software in the future. Apple software chief Craig Federighi has told his teams to develop as many new AI features as possible for this year's OS updates.
Siri will be a key focus of the WWDC presentation. The new system will allow the assistant to control and navigate an iPhone or iPad more precisely. This includes being able to open individual documents, move a note to another folder, send or delete an email, open a specific post in Apple News, email a web link, or even ask your device for an article summary .
A representative for Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple declined to comment.
Today, Siri is mostly limited to broader commands, such as playing music playlists, searching for information, or controlling smart appliances. The company also offers developers what are known as app intents, which allow them to create ways for Siri to tap individual functions. In 2018, Apple also released Siri Shortcuts, which allowed users to manually create commands for the app's functions.
The new system will go further, using AI to analyze what people are doing on their devices and automatically activate functions controlled by Siri. At first it will be limited to Apple's own apps, with the company planning to support hundreds of different commands.
The feature is one of Apple's more complex AI initiatives and isn't scheduled to launch until next year, when it will be part of a post-iOS 18 update, the people said. The first version of the new operating system will be released in September, around the same time as the next iPhone models.
At first, the new Siri will handle one command at a time, but Apple plans to allow users to chain commands together. For example, they could ask Siri to summarize a recorded meeting, then text it to a colleague in a request. Or, theoretically, you could ask an iPhone to crop an image and then email it to a friend.
A major component of the new push is a system that will use AI to automatically determine whether a function should be handled on-device or through the cloud.
This has raised some privacy questions. While on-device tasks won't share personal information, the cloud-based approach will require some user data to be transferred to remote servers. The information will be protected by the so-called Secure Enclave in the high-end Apple Mac chips that power the data centers, Bloomberg reported earlier this month.
Apple will try to further reassure customers that their data is private by creating an “intelligence report” that explains how information is being protected. The iPhone maker also won't create customer profiles, something Google and Meta Platforms Inc. have criticized.
With the Siri update, Apple is looking to revitalize a pioneering product that fell behind competitor services. The company first launched Siri in 2011, giving it a leg up on voice-based and AI interfaces. But Apple soon lost that lead to Amazon.com Inc.'s Alexa. and the Google Assistant. Then, it was caught flat-footed again when generative AI chatbots emerged two years ago.
Apple is also struggling with slowing sales, and its stock has underperformed its peers this year. Shares are down about 1% in 2024, compared with a 10% gain in the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 stock index. Apple rose 0.5% to $191.29 in New York on Thursday.
Apple is betting that new AI features for iPhone, iPad and Mac, as well as improvements to Siri, will encourage users to upgrade their devices. Many of the device's AI capabilities will require an iPhone 15 Pro or later to function. Meanwhile, Macs and iPads will need at least one M1 chip.
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