Apple is working on a new AI-driven assistant to rival ChatGPT, but while progress is being made, one significant challenge is slowing the rollout of the highly anticipated tool.
Apple has been making strides to catch up in the rapidly evolving race for AI supremacy, focusing on improving its personal assistant, Siri. In recent months, the company has been developing its own alternative to ChatGPT, testing it internally with the goal of transforming Siri into a much more dynamic and conversational AI. Despite significant advancements, a key issue is standing in the way of its public release.
Apple’s Ambitious Plan for Siri
According to reports from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is currently testing a new AI chatbot, known internally as Knowledge. This chatbot is designed to leverage internet data, similar to ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini, to answer user queries more effectively. The aim is to make Siri not just a voice assistant, but a comprehensive assistant for tasks like online research.
Apple is employing a variety of AI models for this ambitious project, some of which feature 3, 7, 33, and even 150 billion parameters. The most powerful of these models is cloud-based and expected to be significantly smarter than the AI models currently running on Apple Intelligence for local use on iPhones. This AI upgrade will also provide the backbone for an upcoming version of Siri, which Apple plans to launch later this fall. According to Gurman, this revamped Siri will be much closer to ChatGPT in terms of its ability to hold dynamic, natural conversations with users.
The Challenge of AI “Hallucination”
Despite the exciting prospects of this new AI-powered Siri, Apple has encountered a significant hurdle in the development process. While their sophisticated AI models are showing impressive results in benchmarks, there’s one persistent issue: hallucinations.
In AI terms, a “hallucination” refers to when the system fabricates information when it cannot find a precise answer. It’s a common problem in generative AI, and even the most advanced models—like ChatGPT—have struggled with this in their earlier iterations. When these systems don’t have the data they need, they tend to create plausible-sounding but ultimately inaccurate information, leading to errors in responses.
Apple has been cautious about rolling out the new assistant due to these issues. John Giannandrea, former head of Siri and now involved in AI strategy at Apple, has advocated for a careful approach. He and other senior figures within the company want to avoid rushing out a public release before these problems are resolved. As a result, there is currently no public version of the new chatbot available, and Apple is being extra cautious to ensure that when it does arrive, it works as intended.
What’s Next for Apple’s AI at WWDC?
While Apple’s AI ambitions are clear, it’s unlikely that the company will make significant announcements at the upcoming WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) in June 2025. With Siri’s delays and the growing importance of Apple Intelligence, the company seems wary of promising too much too soon. Instead, WWDC is expected to focus more on design and other hardware innovations, leaving the full reveal of Siri’s AI overhaul for a later date.
Apple’s careful approach may seem frustrating for those eagerly awaiting the release of a true ChatGPT rival, but the company’s history shows that it prefers to wait until its products are polished before making big announcements. With competition in the AI space heating up, it will be interesting to see how Apple continues to refine its approach and address the key challenges in AI development.
