Exciting News: Apple Reportedly Planning AI-Powered Siri Overhaul

Apple is reportedly planning a significant overhaul of Siri, employing artificial intelligence (AI) to enable control over individual app functions.

Apple Inc. is reportedly planning a significant overhaul of its Siri virtual assistant, incorporating more advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. This update will enable users to control individual app functions using voice commands, according to sources familiar with the matter. The revamped system will empower Siri to access and command all features within apps for the first time. To achieve this, Siri's underlying software has been redesigned using large language models, a fundamental technology supporting generative AI. This enhancement will be a key aspect of Apple's renewed emphasis on AI.

The Siri upgrade is just one component of Apple's broader AI strategy, which is set to be unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10. Among the planned features are voice memo transcriptions and summaries, quick website and notification recaps, automated message responses, advanced photo editing, and AI-generated emojis, as reported by Bloomberg.

As part of the rollout, Apple aims to process more basic AI tasks on devices themselves, while leveraging cloud computing for more sophisticated capabilities. Additionally, Apple is reportedly in negotiations with OpenAI to integrate the startup's chatbot and other technologies into the iOS operating system. Discussions are also ongoing with Google parent Alphabet Inc. regarding the potential use of its Gemini software in the future.

Craig Federighi, Apple's software chief, has instructed his teams to develop as many new AI features as possible for this year's operating system updates.

At the WWDC unveiling, Siri will take center stage as a key focus. The updated system will empower the virtual assistant to precisely control and navigate iPhones or iPads. This includes tasks such as opening individual documents, relocating notes to different folders, sending or deleting emails, accessing specific publications in Apple News, sharing web links via email, and even requesting summaries of articles.

A spokesperson for Apple, based in Cupertino, California, declined to provide any comment.

Currently, Siri's capabilities are mostly limited to broader commands, such as playing music playlists, searching for information, or managing smart home devices. Apple also provides developers with app intents, enabling them to create Siri commands for specific app functions. Additionally, in 2018, Apple introduced Siri Shortcuts, allowing users to manually set up commands for various app features.

The updated system will go a step further by utilizing AI to analyze users' activities on their devices and automatically activate Siri-controlled features. Initially, this functionality will be restricted to Apple's own apps, with the company intending to support hundreds of different commands.

The feature represents one of Apple's more intricate AI initiatives and is not expected to be released until as early as next year, when it will be included in a subsequent update to iOS 18, according to sources. The initial version of the new operating system is set to launch in September, coinciding with the release of the next iPhone models.

Initially, the enhanced Siri will handle one command at a time, but Apple intends to enable users to string commands together. For instance, users could ask Siri to summarize a recorded meeting and then send it to a colleague via text in a single request. Alternatively, an iPhone could potentially be instructed to crop a picture and then email it to a friend.

A significant aspect of the new initiative involves a system that will utilize AI to automatically decide whether a function should be processed on the device itself or in the cloud.

However, this approach has sparked privacy concerns. While tasks performed on the device will not involve sharing personal information, tasks processed via the cloud will necessitate the transfer of some user data to remote servers. Bloomberg previously reported that this information will be safeguarded by the Secure Enclave, a security feature present in the advanced Apple Mac chips that power the data centers.

Apple aims to further reassure customers about the privacy of their data by creating an "intelligence report" that outlines how the information is safeguarded. Additionally, the company pledges not to construct customer profiles, a practice it has criticized Google and Meta Platforms Inc. for undertaking.

The forthcoming Siri upgrade represents Apple's effort to revitalize a pioneering product that lagged behind competitors' offerings. Siri was initially introduced in 2011, granting Apple an early advantage in voice-based interfaces and AI. However, the company subsequently ceded this lead to Amazon.com Inc.'s Alexa and the Google Assistant. Furthermore, Apple was caught off guard by the emergence of generative AI chatbots two years ago.

Apple is also grappling with a slowdown in sales, with its stock performance trailing behind that of its peers this year. While the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 Stock Index has gained 10%, Apple's stock has declined approximately 1% in 2024, trading at $191.29 in New York on Thursday.

Apple is banking on the new AI features for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, along with the Siri improvements, to stimulate device upgrades. Many of the on-device AI capabilities will necessitate an iPhone 15 Pro or newer model. Similarly, Macs and iPads will require at least an M1 chip to access these features.