Apple announces long-awaited AI update: NPR

Apple leapt into the AI ​​era on Monday, announcing long-awaited updates to its digital assistant Siri and changes to its operating system that attempt to integrate artificial intelligence more deeply.

The company’s stock price fell nearly 2%. After the news. Analysts say the change has potential, but we’ll have to wait until it’s rolled out to the public later this year to see if it’s a hit with consumers.

Siri overhaul will come later repeated delays Chatbots and agents have become central to the tech world, raising questions about Apple’s AI efforts amid a flurry of AI investments from other companies.

“Today, we’re taking a big step forward,” Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software design, defended Apple’s approach, stressing the company’s focus on practicality and protecting user privacy, saying at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in Cupertino, California.

“Some people seem to be rushing ahead and pursuing AI for AI’s sake without explicitly considering the people that AI should ultimately serve: all of us,” he said. “We believe that truly useful AI should put users and their needs at the center.”

While chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude have wowed consumers with their ability to answer complex questions and perform digital tasks, Siri has lagged far behind. On Monday, Apple showcased the new version with a series of video-recorded demonstrations in which Apple employees showed off Siri’s new features.

The company says the new Siri, called Siri AI, will be accessible through a standalone app as well as the search function in various apps, including the home screen and Photos on Apple devices. It gives you access to cloud computing networks and the Internet, but it is informed by your personal experience and information about your Apple device, such as your email and text message history.

Apple executives showed how Siri AI searches for information online, makes recommendations such as menus, mines texts and emails to pull up addresses and other information, and moves photos into albums.

Ben Bajarin, CEO of technology research firm Creative Strategies, said the bar for improvement is low given Siri’s current limited functionality. He said Apple is well-positioned to bring AI to a wide range of customers through its popular products.

“It seems like a pretty big upgrade,” he said of the new Siri and deeper integration of AI into Apple’s systems. “This will work very cleanly for a lot of things that consumers may already be doing.”

But, he added, “I think now we need to see how it actually works.”

Francisco Geronimo, an analyst at consulting firm IDC, said Apple seems to want the AI ​​to “disappear into the operating system” rather than make chatting with it the focus of users.

“If Apple makes AI natural, private, and useful for mainstream users, it will not only strengthen its own ecosystem, it could redefine what consumers expect from every device they use.”

Conference presenters said Siri AI will be available to U.S. customers in English later this year, with other languages ​​coming soon. Due to international regulations, it won’t be immediately available in the European Union or China, Apple’s two biggest markets.

Apple is looking to one of its biggest mobile phone hardware rivals to help it catch up in the AI ​​field. In January, Google and Apple announced It’s a multi-year collaboration in which Google’s Gemini AI model will form the basis of Apple’s AI system.

Daniel Newman, CEO of technology research and advisory firm Futurum Group, said Apple is currently facing a “testing moment.”

“My initial reaction, which I think is why the stock price fell, was that while it’s disappointing, it’s still not exciting,” Newman said.

“Given Apple’s lackluster AI deployments over the past few years, I’m not sure they’ve given us enough reason to believe they can be trusted this time. The proof should be in the delivery and execution,” he added.

Newman said the promises Apple made Monday have potential, and there’s clearly a big market for an improved Siri. Investors may also like the fact that Apple is “just paying rent to Google” for Gemini, rather than pouring money into in-house AI development like many other tech companies, he said.

Beyond AI, Apple announced new parental controls for access to apps and content for kids. This includes the ability to limit the websites your child can view and the apps they can download, who can communicate with your child, and the amount of time your child can spend on the device.

These updates come at a time when various AI and social media companies are working on it. facing through of lawsuit claim Harm to minorsinclude mental health trouble Exposure to violent or sexual acts Graphic conversation with chatbot.

Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook opened and ended the main session with brief remarks at the beginning of what will likely be his last WWDC, but did not participate in any new product announcements.

In April, Mr. Cook announced In September, he plans to hand over the reins of the company he helped make into one of the world’s most valuable companies to John Tarnas, a trained mechanical engineer who currently oversees the development of Apple hardware such as Mac computers and the iPhone.

One April letter Cook announced the leadership change, praising Tarnas as someone with “the heart of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and honor.”

Despite the perception that Apple has made missteps when it comes to AI, the company has grown under Cook, with its stock price rising about 2,000% on a split-adjusted basis during his 15-year tenure as CEO. Mr. Cook expanded the range of revenue-generating services Apple offers with products such as Apple Pay, Apple Music, and Apple News+. He also launched a line of custom microchips to power Apple products.

Still, Mr. Cook has criticized Apple for tying its fortunes to China as a manufacturing hub, a move that has led to supply chain efficiencies but poses political risks that the company is now trying to address through diversification.

Critics also say Cook lacks the ability to drive tremendous product innovation like his predecessor, Steve Jobs, and has instead delivered a series of incremental device updates over the years.

Cook concluded his Monday morning keynote by saying that “the best is yet to come” for Apple, and that the company strives to create the best products that deliver rich experiences.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to work with a team that continues to make a lasting difference in people’s lives with their creativity, care and faith, and to help advance that mission,” he said.

Note: Apple and Google are financial supporters of NPR.