Are you able to imagine that we’re solely three months away from WWDC 2024? I really feel like Tim Prepare dinner simply unveiled the Imaginative and prescient Professional (which he did at WWDC23), and we’re nearly all the best way again round to see what Apple has cooking subsequent for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS — in the event that they even trouble with a tvOS part this yr (sorry, Apple TV staff).
It looks like the large rumor for this yr’s WWDC has nothing to do with {hardware} — an affordable expectation for the reason that complete occasion exists to focus on what the corporate has coming subsequent with its software program platforms. This yr, as an alternative of a number of options throughout working techniques, the expectation is totally centered on one factor: AI.
Apple has began to be extra direct about its upcoming AI options. Between analysis papers, some generative AI take a look at tasks, and a number of AI-focused acquisitions as recent as — checks watch — today, the corporate is slowly however absolutely hinting that it plans to observe Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, and principally everybody else in Silicon Valley and leap into the AI-soaked fray.
Whereas there are many AI-related options that Apple may announce at WWDC 24, the obvious can be to show Siri right into a chatbot like Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini, or OpenAI’s ChatGPT. As an alternative of getting a dialog with Siri utilizing your voice or writing easy prompts, you could possibly chat with Siri extra naturally.
In fact, there’s a slew of different rumors of what Apple may do with generative AI. From creating tracks in Garageband to reducing collectively footage in Ultimate Lower Professional, the corporate may go to city with a ton of AI rabbit holes if it needed to. It’s only a matter of precedence and the place Apple thinks it may do one thing higher than everybody else. Properly, it was that, at the least.
Whereas there are a lot of potentialities, there’s just one AI function that I want Tim Prepare dinner to announce at WWDC this yr. It would sound unexciting in comparison with all the pieces else that the corporate may do, however I can’t stress this one sufficient: I simply want Siri to fucking perceive me.
Our decade-long battle with Apple’s voice assistant
We’re in 2024. Siri initially launched on the iPhone again in 2011. This voice assistant is now nearly thirteen-years-old, and it’s nonetheless laughably dangerous at understanding what I’m saying to it. I’m actually not even mad that it doesn’t perceive what I say, however extra in order that it makes the flawed guess and begins operating with it.
Right here’s an instance. Apple Music makes a playlist referred to as Lo-Fi Chill. The playlist is made by Apple itself. Generally, I need to hearken to that playlist all through my condo, so I name out to my HomePod mini and say: “Hey Siri, play the Lo-Fi Chill playlist.” What do I get again? Siri, very confidently and about fifty % of the time, says, “Okay, enjoying LoFi Chill Hop Research Beats.”
I’ve tried all the pieces. I’ve stated, “Hey Siri, play Lo-Fi Chill,” “Hey Siri, play the Lo-Fi Chill Apple Playlist,” and every other mixture of prompts, however the voice assistant solely offers me the right outcome about half of the time. Finally, I simply seize my iPhone and choose the playlist manually somewhat than proceed to lose my thoughts making an attempt to elucidate myself to the little speaker.
Right here’s that playlist, by the best way. It’s unbelievable.
That is all I’m asking from Apple. I simply need Siri to get smarter and really perceive the request — even when it will possibly’t full it. I’d somewhat Siri shrug and say, “I don’t know what you’re speaking about,” than, “I believe I do know what you’re speaking about, so right here’s this.” The generative AI a part of this makes me think about a world the place Siri would ask for clarification, however given our historical past, I really feel like that’s a pie-in-the-sky sort of dream I’m having proper now.
There are such a lot of examples of this type of problem with Siri that we’ve all possible run into one — or many. I usually ask Siri to “Add eggs to my grocery record,” and he or she says, “You don’t have a grocery record.” It’s referred to as Groceries in my Reminders app. I don’t really feel like I’m asking for enormous leaps right here.
We’ll see what Tim Prepare dinner and the staff should unveil at WWDC in June, and I’m positive there’s going to be some flashy generative AI and different AI-centered options throughout the iPhone and the corporate’s different platforms. However greater than any of these, I simply need Apple to repair what has been a basically damaged voice assistant for the final decade.
