Apple to Unveil Next-Generation Voice Assistant 'Siri' Next Month... Expected to Feature ChatGPT Integration

Apple is set to unveil the next-generation version of its voice assistant 'Siri,' equipped with generative artificial intelligence (AI), next month, according to reports on the 11th (local time). The new version is highly likely to incorporate ChatGPT.

The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing sources, that Apple is preparing to reveal a majorly revamped Siri at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) held in June. According to sources, the next-generation Siri will be powered by generative AI, enabling it to engage in better conversations with users and understand a wider variety of requests.

Siri, first introduced by Apple in 2011, is a voice assistant that handles various tasks such as making phone calls and sending texts on Apple devices like the iPhone in response to user voice commands. By integrating generative AI, Siri will be upgraded to a smarter assistant capable of conversing with users. Craig Federighi, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, and John Giannandrea, Senior AI executive, reportedly tested ChatGPT over several weeks early last year and decided to incorporate generative AI into Siri.

Following this, Apple undertook a major organizational restructuring to avoid falling behind in the AI tools development race, reallocating many employees and engineers to AI-related roles. This strategic shift is also said to have influenced the cancellation of the electric vehicle project 'Apple Car.' Sources explained that the generative AI-powered Siri will be more conversational and able to provide more rational responses by understanding context better than before. Additionally, Apple plans to run this feature on the device itself rather than relying on the cloud.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reported that Apple is in the final stages of negotiations with OpenAI to use ChatGPT starting with the next iPhone operating system, iOS 18. Apple has been discussing this with OpenAI since early this year, but talks were temporarily paused and then resumed last month, according to earlier reports by the news agency. With the contract imminent, the likelihood of Apple integrating ChatGPT not only into the next-generation Siri but throughout iOS 18 has increased. Apple has been negotiating licenses for generative AI usage not only with OpenAI but also with Google. Bloomberg also reported that Apple is conducting similar negotiations with Alphabet, Google's parent company, which has the AI model Gemini.