Apple has announced a significant overhaul of its virtual assistant, Siri, at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
The update brings a range of new features, updates, and changes that aim to make Siri more natural, relevant, and personal for users across iPhone and iPad.
New Features and Updates
- Visual Makeover: Siri is getting a new icon after 13 years, marking a fresh start for the virtual assistant.
- Improved Voice Recognition: Siri can now understand voice commands even if you stumble while saying them, making it more forgiving and user-friendly.
- On-Screen Awareness: Siri can take actions in or across apps, allowing it to perform tasks more seamlessly. For example, Siri can find your license photo, extract the ID number, and fill it into a web form.
- Deep Integration with Apps: Siri will work deeply with first and third-party apps to help users complete tasks, making it a more powerful tool for everyday use.
- Text Summaries and Email Writing Suggestions: Siri will provide text summaries and email writing suggestions powered by Apple Intelligence, the company’s new personal AI system. Users can have Siri write emails and adjust the tone as needed.
- Integration with OpenAI: Apple has partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into Siri and across its platforms later this year. This integration will enable Siri conversations to seamlessly switch between voice and text.
- Enhanced Data Processing: All data processing is done on-device or on Apple’s private cloud servers without storing user information, ensuring that user data remains private and secure.
Key Changes
- Siri Conversations: Siri conversations can now seamlessly switch between voice and text, making it easier to interact with the assistant.
- Apple Intelligence: Siri will leverage Apple Intelligence, the company’s new personal AI system, to provide more personalized and relevant responses.
- System-Wide Availability: Siri’s new features and capabilities will be available system-wide, anywhere you can type.
With these updates, Apple aims to make Siri a more capable, intelligent and privacy-focused assistant that simplifies everyday tasks on iPhone and iPad.
