According to 9to5Mac, Apple has been experimenting with natural language generation features for Siri on Apple TV. Codenamed “Bobcat,” the new technology is now being tested starting with tvOS 16.4 beta and could be available on other Apple devices in the future.
People have complained for years about how Siri and other voice assistants struggle to understand queries, even if you speak the same language. A shift to generative language could fix this issue and help Siri perform better on your behalf.
9to5Mac
According to 9to5Mac, Apple is actively testing new AI-powered natural language generation features for Siri on tvOS. Codenamed “Bobcat,” the framework is currently only used for telling jokes on Apple TV, but could also be applied to timers in the future.
The report cites former Apple engineer John Burkey who said that the company’s virtual assistant has struggled to evolve due to clunky code and a massive database. Adding new phrases or features to Siri requires engineers to rebuild the entire database, which takes up to six weeks.
The new natural language generation technology will reportedly be a significant upgrade to Siri and will help the company maintain a competitive viral assistant. However, don’t expect it to work like ChatGPT.
Bloomberg
Apple is working on natural language generation features for Siri that could be used in upcoming updates to the Apple TV and other Appe devices. These new capabilities are codenamed “Bobcat,” according to 9to5Mac, and will reportedly use artificial intelligence technology.
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The Verge
Siri is Apple’s voice-activated virtual assistant that can read your last email, book a hotel, call your parents instantly, set an alarm or give weather reports. It also can do intelligent scheduling, react to text conversations and make useful suggestions based on your previous behaviour.
However, Siri has struggled to keep up with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Moreover, Siri mishears a lot of simple commands and is unreliable when it comes to completing basic tasks.
Fortunately, Apple is working on adding natural language generation features for Siri. According to 9to5Mac, the code for these new features is now enabled in the latest beta of tvOS 16.4, Apple’s operating system that powers the Apple TV and HomePod.
The feature, which is codenamed Bobcat, is only available in tvOS at the moment but it could eventually roll out to all of Apple’s platforms. This is the company’s first foray into AI-enhanced bots and it seems to be slowly testing its capabilities in public.
TechCrunch
Siri, Apple’s voice-activated digital assistant that first launched with the iPhone 4S in 2011, is getting a huge upgrade, according to a new report. TechCrunch says that the company is working on a new framework for natural language generation features for Siri on tvOS, Apple’s operating system for the company’s Apple TV and HomePod devices.
The new framework isn’t activated yet, but it’s available in the tvOS 16.4 beta that Apple has been testing. The report also says that the same framework is present in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS — suggesting that Apple could bring its newest Siri-powered natural language technology to all of its products.
While it’s unlikely that Apple is going to compete with Google or Microsoft on chatbots, it’s a good sign that the company is finally getting serious about AI. That includes a major restructuring of its artificial intelligence divisions and hiring John Giannandrea, former Google’s head of search and AI, as the chief of machine learning and AI strategy.