Biggest update to Apple's iOS in history! Siri is going to be on the big model!

While tech giants have been launching AI-enabled software and hardware as well as services in an attempt to gain a foothold in the AI space, Apple seems to have maintained a cautious attitude. However, in October of last year, an analyst revealed that Apple may be planning to launch its AI-enabled software and hardware by the end of 2024 through the iOS 18 and the release of iPadOS 18 began to introduce generative AI capabilities. And now, with some new developments surfacing, it seems to be possible to get a glimpse of Apple's new approach in this area.

According to Bloomberg, Apple will unveil iOS 18 with heavy AI features at WWDC in June, with analyst Mark Gurman describing iOS 18 as "one of the biggest, if not the biggest, iOS update in Apple's history". This comes after Bloomberg reported last November that Apple wanted iOS 18 to be its most "ambitious and compelling" update in years.

Siri is the iPhone's voice assistant, which can be used to perform simple operations through voice commands. However, since its answers are mainly based on search engines, it can answer a limited pattern of questions, and if generative AI is added, it may be able to answer more flexibly, such as giving some suggestions based on answering questions.

Recently, some hints of a new version of Siri seem to have been revealed in the beta of iOS 17.4.The code shows that this new version includes a private framework called "SiriSummarization" that calls OpenAI's ChatGPT. APITheHaving this framework on board may make Siri even better at processing information and answering questions.

Image credit: 9to5Mac

There are also several system prompts for the SiriSummarization framework in iOS 17.4, including "Please summarize", "Please answer this question", and "Please summarize the given text". These prompts seem to further illustrate how Siri will be smarter about understanding and executing user commands.

Image credit: 9to5Mac

Previously, in July 2023, Apple created its own Big Model.Ajax" and launched a new product code-named "Apple GPT"An internal chatbot for testing Ajax functionality.

It's unlikely that Apple will use another company's model to power its own AI features in iOS 18, so calling OpenAI's ChatGPT API doesn't mean that ChatGPT will be embedded in products like the iPhone. In fact, Apple appears to be using its own AI models to power the framework, and then comparing its results internally to those of ChatGPT to improve Siri's answers.

Though Apple seems to have fallen behind quite a bit in this AI race. However, from the beginning of last year, when it started training the big model Ajax, to now with the imminent arrival of iOS 18, Apple seems to be ready to take a major step forward in the AI space.

Apple actually demonstrated its exploration of AI at a very early stage, but has kept a relatively low profile. Historically, Apple hasn't rushed to introduce new technologies, especially if they're not fully proven. Whether it's the iPod, smartphone, or iPad, Apple has only entered the market after it has identified a superior solution. While this strategy may have allowed Apple to get a late start in some areas of technology, it has ensured that Apple has been able to deliver products that are mature and ahead of the market.

In the realm of generative AI, Apple has followed this same strategy. iOS This version of the update not only signals Apple's ambitions for generative AI, but it could also mean a major update to its smartphone operating system. iOS 18 could be one of the biggest updates in Apple's history.