Is Apple going to transform Siri into a modern AI competitor?

When Apple rolled out the iPhone 4S back in 2011, Siri was like the star of the show. It was one of the first voice assistants to hit the scene, making a big splash. Unlike the basic voice recognition found on earlier iPhone models, Siri could do a whole lot more. It could tell you the weather, schedule appointments on your calendar, and even entertain a few deep questions about life.

So, Siri has improved over time, but with newer AI services like ChatGPT and Google Bard hitting the scene, it’s fallen a bit behind. Now, let’s ask the big question: Is Siri really AI? Let’s dive into it.

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Should Siri be considered an AI?

Yep, Siri counts as AI because it tries to act like a human brain. But here’s the thing: we don’t just measure AI on one thing. Siri nails one of the key aspects of AI: talking to us in English like a real person. Plus, it can understand what we say and talk back, which is another big AI tick.

But here’s the kicker: Siri has its own set of limitations that stop it from handling tricky questions or chatting like a human would. Sure, it can crunch numbers or convert currency if you ask it to, but it’s not doing it on its own like a smart AI would. Instead, it’s more like a fancy calculator, using basic algorithms to get the job done. And let’s face it, that’s not really what we think of as cutting-edge AI nowadays.

So, in today’s world, old-timers like Siri would be considered more of the “narrow” or “weak” AI type. That means it’s not exactly Einstein-level smart and can only handle a few tasks. Maybe Apple will give Siri a makeover down the road, but for now, it’s no match for newer players like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.

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Is Siri dependent on machine learning?

Siri works its magic by using voice recognition, some fancy natural language processing (NLP) AI tech, and machine learning-based algorithms to handle everyday stuff.

Voice recognition might sound simple, but trust me, it’s a real brain teaser. Siri’s got to tackle all kinds of languages and accents from every corner of the globe. Apple had to get creative, using machine learning to teach Siri’s ears to understand even the trickiest accents and languages out there.

Back in the day, old chatbots were pretty limited. They could only deal with specific questions like “What’s the weather?” Siri, on the other hand, can handle a bit more variety, all thanks to something called natural language processing (NLP). Now you can ask things like “Is it gonna rain tomorrow?” and still get the same weather scoop. When Siri first hit the scene, this NLP stuff was brand new and super impressive in the world of AI.

When it comes to getting stuff done, Siri doesn’t exactly have human-like smarts. It sticks to pre-set rules for things like math or setting reminders on your device. Apple might sprinkle in some machine learning here and there, but it’s nowhere near doing everything. There are tons of things Siri still can’t handle, like diving into random third-party apps on your phone or Mac.

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty of getting stuff done, that’s where we see Siri’s limits. It’s nowhere near as smart as a human—it can’t whip up code or crunch numbers on its own. Plus, it’s clueless when it comes to cooking up images or spotting objects in a picture like we can.

So, bottom line: Siri has a few AI tricks up its sleeve, but it’s not the full package. Especially with newcomers like ChatGPT on the scene, which really push the boundaries of what AI can do with their super smart chat capabilities.

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Is Siri in for an AI makeover?

Siri’s had a few touch-ups in the past ten years, but its main gigs haven’t really evolved. Meanwhile, the competition’s been stepping up its game big time. Take Google’s Assistant with Bard, for instance—it’s like the ultimate mashup of Google’s Siri rival and some seriously smart generative AI. With this combo, the new Google Assistant can chat about all sorts of stuff and even shoot the breeze like a real human.

Even though Apple hasn’t officially spilled the beans on beefing up Siri like this, snoops over at Bloomberg and 9To5Mac have dug up some clues hinting that Apple’s cooking something up behind the scenes. Apparently, there’s some code floating around suggesting Siri might start using generative AI to throw out message replies and give quick summaries. Sounds a lot like what Samsung’s Galaxy AI and Google’s Pixel series are up to, right? So, maybe the next iPhone will be playing catch-up in that department too.

So, those fancy generative AI models are lightyears ahead of Siri as we know it, but they’re not without their quirks. When ChatGPT first hit the scene, it had a tendency to go off the rails a bit, spouting nonsense or giving out flat-out wrong info.

Well, things have gotten better since those early days, but the risk of models like GPT-4 going rogue is still a real concern. It’ll be cool to see how Apple tackles this, considering they usually play it safe and stick to tried-and-tested tech. But with Google, Samsung, and others pushing the envelope with AI, Apple might have to jump on the bandwagon sooner rather than later.