Change can be difficult, scary, and especially complicated when it comes to technology that consumers rely on every day. Maybe that's why Siri changed so gradually over these past 13 years. Maybe. The accepted wisdom is that Apple didn't see a good way forward. The AI tools available through 2022 were mediocre, and Apple wanted the right option to achieve its largely unspoken aspirations.
Now those aspirations have a voice (a very different Siri voice) and an intelligence that could put Siri in the same camp as Google Gemini and OpenAI GPT 4o (it will literally be in the same camp as the latter, but more on that later ).
I have nothing against Siri. It's fine for setting timers and…well, that's been the main use in my house.
This reborn Siri, announced here at Apple Park during the WWDC 2024 Keynote, will be much more capable. It's built on a fundamental new model called Apple Intelligence (yes, “AI”) that Apple infused into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.
There's a lot to cover in Siri's new brain, but it's also worth talking about the design changes. The Siri app icon, which now looks like a clever play on the infinity sign, bears no visual relationship to any Siri we've seen before.
When you tap the new Siri, it's no longer a small glowing orb near the bottom of the screen. Instead, the entire screen frame lights up. This is more than just a nice visual touch, it's a sign that the iPhone and Siri system are one. Siri knows your phone and you're gone through a small access hole. Tap or speak Siri's name and her gaping jaws consume the meaty information on your phone to intuit your intentions.
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Siri finally sees your information, photos, messages, notes, interactions, and the relationships between them. I know it may sound scary, but you don't call something “wizard” if it doesn't help you. And digital assistance isn't worth much if it's not smarter than a flat consultation. Seeing information in three dimensions is what makes large language models and generative AI so powerful. It is about capturing non-obvious relationships.
This is the Siri of iOS 18 or, more precisely, of Apple Intelligence.
Apple Intelligence sounds extraordinarily powerful and certainly surpasses any AI Apple has applied before. In the lead-up to the announcement of Apple Intelligence and the new Siri at the WWDC keynote, Apple mentioned machine learning several times (and avoided saying AI).
Machine learning has long been Apple's go-to for on-device training and intelligence, and it still does a lot on new platforms, but it also has limits. Apple Intelligence, which does everything it can over the phone and only reaches into the new Private Cloud when local isn't enough, seems free of such limits.
Apple takes this notion even further, enlisting OpenAI ChatGPT to step in when Siri has to go out.
The questions about all of this are endless, and despite Apple's many privacy promises, the company is branching out in so many generative directions that I think it remains to be seen whether Apple can deliver a truly private Siri and Apple Intelligence experience.
Despite the frustration of this AI magic stagnating beneath the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max (really?), I'm very encouraged. Apple took its time getting here and, as is often the case, had the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others. He didn't position the new Siri as an answer-everything tool. No, Siri and Apple Intelligence are engines of simplification and automation. They'll give you answers faster by analyzing all the information on your iPhone to understand what you really want. In apps, it looks like Apple Intelligence will offer help where you need it, but it won't be overbearing.
Over time, Siri will be able to see inside apps and understand the contents of your screen. This is something I've wanted for years and I can only imagine how it will transform the iPhone, iPad and macOS experience.
After the keynote, I met with Apple CEO Tim Cook and congratulated him on his excellent keynote. I added that I was almost sold on Apple Intelligence. Cook laughed and said, “Almost?!” I told him he was joking. I'm pretty convinced.
Siri as you knew her is dead. Long live the new Siri and welcome, Apple Intelligence. This is the kind of change I can get behind.
