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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1522076
Letting Siri Inside Your iPhone Apps Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman weighed in a few hours after AppleInsider’s report to add that Siri’s new AI capabilities will also include the ability to dig into your apps and perform functions like opening documents, managing emails, and asking for summaries of articles in Apple News. The new system will allow Siri to take command of all the features within apps for the first time, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the initiative isn’t public. That change required a revamp of Siri’s underlying software using large language models — a core technology behind generative AI — and will be one of the highlights of Apple’s renewed push into AI, they said. - Mark Gurman Gurman notes that most basic AI tasks will be performed on-device, with more advanced capabilities handled in data centers filled with custom M2 Ultra-powered AI servers. While Siri can already perform some tasks within apps, subject to what third-party developers allow through App Intents and Siri Shortcuts, Apple plans to go deeper, using AI to analyze what people are doing on their devices and empowering Siri to assist. At the start, the new Siri will handle one command at a time, but Apple has plans to to allow users to chain commands together. For example, they could ask Siri to summarize a recorded meeting and then text it to a colleague in one request. Or an iPhone could theoretically be asked to crop a picture and then email it to a friend. - Mark Gurman When iOS 18.0 is released, these Siri app integrations will be limited to Apple’s first-party apps, as Gurman says it’s “one of Apple’s more complex AI initiatives.” Support for third-party apps isn’t coming until next year, although it’s expected to arrive in an iOS 18 point release rather than iOS 19.