Mark Gurman
Apple investors gave a tepid reception to the next generation of its artificial intelligence platform, which is key to the company’s bid to catch up with Silicon Valley peers in a critical market.
The new Apple Intelligence system — underpinned by Google technology — was unveiled during a keynote presentation at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday. Software chief Craig Federighi pitched the update, which includes an overhauled Siri digital assistant, as a major improvement over the company’s current software.
Siri is “more intelligent, knowledgeable and capable,” Federighi said.
Still, many of the new features are similar to capabilities that Apple unveiled earlier — only to delay their release. And the new Siri will be released as a beta test to consumers later this year, signalling that the technology isn’t fully ready for everyday users.
Apple said that its new AI features won’t be available in China while the company “works through regulatory requirements.” The rollout of the technology in the EU also will be slowed by regulations in that region.
A stock gain of more than 3 per cent soon fizzled. The shares were down about 0.7 per cent at the conclusion of the presentation on Monday.
Apple Intelligence will be able to better understand the context of users’ requests, Federighi said. The changes also enhance Apple’s Visual Intelligence features, providing information about what users see, and improve writing tools. The new assistant, called Siri AI, will be available in English to start, before expanding “quickly” to other languages, Apple said.
It’s a pivotal moment for Apple, which has to demonstrate to investors and consumers that its AI technology is back on track. When the company unveiled the Apple Intelligence platform two years ago, many features were slow to arrive or inferior to rival offerings.
The overhaul of Siri is key to the company’s AI comeback. The new capabilities will include a standalone Siri app and a more chatbot-like interface, Bloomberg News has reported. Apple’s Siri, first released in 2011, hasn’t kept up with AI-enhanced rivals. The latest abilities, which work across Apple’s operating systems, will help modernise the technology.
During the presentation, Federighi said the new software updates would focus on three areas: AI, performance improvements and security. The upgrades mean that software and photos will load faster. New child safety protections, meanwhile, will manage screen time and help prevent kids from accessing inappropriate content.
For the Mac computer lineup, Federighi announced that the next macOS would be called Golden Gate.
The company also tinkered with its Liquid Glass design, which was unveiled last year. Among the changes, a slider will now let users adjust the magnitude of the effect. Some customers had complained that text can be hard to read with Liquid Glass.
Searches within operating systems will be more effective, Apple said, making it easier for users to find what they’re looking for.
More to come
Bloomberg
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
