January 29, 2024 Apple is reportedly testing an AI-improved version of Siri in the iOS 17.4 beta, potentially to be announced as soon as June. This development is part of Apple’s ongoing efforts to enhance Siri’s capabilities, in response to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT.

The iOS 17.4 beta code not only suggests that Apple is working on a new version of Siri, but also has some references to OpenAI found within the code. However, it appears that OpenAI’s ChatGPT is not directly powering Siri’s AI features but is instead used as a benchmark for Apple to compare its own Large Language Models (LLM) against.

Apple is reported to have spent a billion dollars to add AI to Siri.

Apple appears to be testing four different AI models, including AjaxGPT, its in-house LLM. Two versions of AjaxGPT are being tested, one processed on-device and one not. Processing data on an outside server would mark a big departure for Apple, that has always touted that data stays on the iPhone.

Additionally, a model named FLAN-T5 is also under examination.

The expectation is a significant upgrade to Siri’s capabilities, potentially making it a more powerful and versatile assistant.

This information, reported by AppleInsider, fits with rumours circulating for months of the Siri upgrade and that iOS 18, expected to be launched at the Worldwide Develooper Conference in June, may be the largest and most consequential update in Apple history.

Sources include: Apple Insider