Apple Makes New Push into Artificial Intelligence with Enhanced Siri

Apple is launching a significant new initiative to integrate artificial intelligence into its products, aiming to rival competitors like ChatGPT with an upgraded Siri. The iPhone maker's software chief, Craig Federighi, emphasized that truly helpful AI must be built around user needs, meaning it should be embedded in daily-use products and understand personal context.

Siri, Apple's voice assistant for about 15 years, will receive a standalone app and enhanced capabilities. A demonstration showed the new Siri capable of finding concert information, setting reminders, and playing music. Initially, this advanced Siri will only be available in English, with other languages to follow quickly. However, users in the European Union will not have access to "Siri AI" on iPhones and iPads for the time being.

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truly helpful AI must be built around the needs of the users.

Apple is also highlighting its commitment to data privacy, stating that requests will be processed on devices, making them inaccessible to the company. Federighi subtly criticized competitors pursuing AI for its own sake without prioritizing user interests. For some of its new features, Apple will utilize Google's "Gemini" AI models.

This move comes after a two-year delay, during which rivals like Google and Samsung rapidly announced new AI features. Despite Apple's perceived lag, its device sales continued to grow, with the iPhone reclaiming the top smartphone spot from Samsung. This WWDC marks the last for CEO Tim Cook before he is set to hand over leadership to John Ternus in September.

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AI in the name of AI