Apple will boost its virtual assistant Siri with the most advanced AI to enable its customers to control individual app functions with their voice.
According to a Bloomberg report, Apple plans to present an AI-empowered update to the Siri assistant as part of its larger AI strategy, which will be unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10.
The advanced system will enable Siri to control all the iPhone or iPad app features for the first time. Reportedly, Siri’s underlying software would be revamped using large language models — a core technology behind generative AI.
Advanced control will initially cover Apple’s proprietary apps, with plans to expand the feature to third-party apps as well. Moreover, the new Siri will first handle one command at a time, but Apple aims to allow users to chain commands together later.
Possible use cases for updated AI voice control include opening individual documents, moving a note to another folder, sending or deleting an email, opening a particular publication in Apple News, emailing a web link, or asking the device to summarise an article.
At present, basic Siri features are limited to playing music playlists, looking up information, and controlling smart home appliances. Customisation available via Siri shortcuts or “app intents” for developers allows one to add some other capabilities.
Other features expected to be unveiled at the conference include voice memo transcriptions and summaries, quick recaps of websites and notifications, automated message replies, advanced photo editing, and AI-generated emojis. While more basic AI tasks will be processed on the devices per se, more advanced capabilities will be enabled via a cloud computing engine.
As we have previously reported, OpenAI’s ChatGPT is also expected to be integrated into Apple’s next operating software update, iOS 18, if the deal, which is already in the final stages of negotiating, is finally sealed.
