Apple on Monday unveiled a new version of its virtual assistant Siri, to take on its artificial intelligence-powered rivals such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
The California smartphone maker has lagged behind its competitors in the AI race as tech companies pour hundreds of billions of dollars into advancing their chatbots and investing in data centers and other infrastructure.
At its developers conference Monday, Apple executives showed how the more conversational virtual assistant Siri AI can help people get more done. The AI assistant can find the time of a concert, the location from a photo or information from text messages. Apple showcased how AI can be used to point at a receipt and split bills at group dinners or events.
With the new upgrade, users can now even customize the expressiveness or pace of Siri’s voice.
People can access the revamped virtual assistant in different ways across Apple’s devices, including by pressing down on a button on the side of the phone, saying “Hey Siri” or asking questions within its search tool Spotlight.
The company also unveiled a standalone Siri AI app so people can view all their AI conversations in one place.
The company tried to set itself apart from its competitors by emphasizing its focus on privacy and child safety. Apple executives said that information shared with its AI system Apple Intelligence won’t be stored or accessible to Apple.
“Some appear to be racing forward, seemingly pursuing AI for the sake of AI, without clear regard for the people,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, at the conference, which was held at the company’s Cupertino headquarters.
Siri AI will be available in English later this year, and the company plans to expand support for other languages. The company’s AI assistant will not initially be available in the European Union on some devices, including the iPhone and the iPad. Siri AI and other Apple AI features won’t be available in China as the company works through regulatory requirements, he said.
Tech companies are betting big that AI tools, such as chatbots and AI-powered gadgets including smart glasses, will play a big role in the future.
More people are using chatbots for research, image generation, coding and other tasks. But the companies are also under scrutiny over how they’re handling AI’s risks, such as child safety, harmful content and job displacement.
Parents are worried about how much time their kids are spending in front of the screen. At the developers conference, Apple’s executives said it’s rolling out new parental controls, including the ability to more easily manage which websites their children are browsing and which apps they’re using. Parents can currently create an account with restrictions for users under age 13.
This year, the company is expanding a safety tool so it blocks gore or violent images sent to kids via messages. Apple also said parents will be able to set “time allowances” for entertainment, games and social media on its devices. The company outlined the new tools on a new webpage about child safety.
Apple has tried before to show investors that it’s keeping pace with the AI race. It has released new AI features that allow users to improve their writing, translate text, summarize messages and create images.
The company, though, has also delayed upgrades to Siri and leaned more on partnerships to advance its software rather than spending heavily on AI. Apple partnered with Google to help improve its AI features.
Apple’s latest announcement also comes at a big turning point for the company. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook is planning to step down in September, handing the reins to John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering. This year, the company also turned 50.
Cook said that some of his greatest highlights as chief executive have been at events such as Apple’s developers conference. “Seeing what you create with them has been a constant reminder that imagination has no limit,” he said.
With a market capitalization of more than $4.6 trillion, Apple is one of the world’s most valuable companies. The company’s stock was down by more than 1% at roughly $302 per share after Apple’s announcements.
More than 2.5 billion people use Apple products worldwide, and the company has legions of fans who line up outside its stores to buy the latest iPhone, MacBook, AirPods and other consumer electronics.
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