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Apple plans to revamp Siri with generative AI technology to let users control apps with voice

  • The new system will allow Siri to take command of all the features within apps for the first time, with the help of large language models, sources say
  • Siri will be a key focus at the Worldwide Developers Conference, as Apple teases new features that let users navigate an iPhone with more precision

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Apple is planning to overhaul its smart assistant Siri with generative AI features. Photo: Reuters
Bloomberg

Apple is planning to overhaul its Siri virtual assistant with more advanced artificial intelligence (AI), a move that will let users control individual app functions with their voice, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

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The new system will allow Siri to take command of all the features within apps for the first time, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the initiative is not public. That change required a revamp of Siri’s underlying software using large language models – a core technology behind generative AI – and will be one of the highlights of Apple’s renewed push into AI, they said.
The upgrade is one piece of the company’s larger AI strategy, which will be unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 10. Apple is preparing several features, including voice memo transcriptions and summaries, quick recaps of websites and notifications, automated message replies, advanced photo editing and AI-generated emoji, Bloomberg has reported.

As part of the roll-out, more basic AI tasks will be processed on devices themselves, while more advanced capabilities will be handled via cloud computing.

The company also has been forging a deal with OpenAI to integrate the start-up’s chatbot and other technology into the iOS operating system, and it remains in talks with Google parent Alphabet to use its Gemini software in the future.

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Apple software boss Craig Federighi has told his teams to develop as many new AI features as possible for this year’s operating system updates.

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