July 23, 2012: Looking for the perfect spokesman for its new virtual assistant Siri, Apple turns to the director behind some of Hollywood’s most violent gangster movies. A new ad shows Martin Scorsese using Siri voice commands on his iPhone to juggle his busy schedule.
One in a string of celebrity-studded ads showcasing the Apple’s recently released virtual assistant, it ranks among the best.
Martin Scorsese’s Apple ad inflates Siri’s skills
Previous celebrity-filled ads for Siri featured the likes of Samuel L. Jackson and John Malkovich. (An infamous one showed Zooey Deschanel peering out her window during a downpour, then asking Siri whether it was raining.)
In the Martin Scorsese ad, the legendary filmmaker uses Siri to check his calendar for the day. He engages in a bit of banter, moves his schedule around, looks up a friend named Rick, and gets real-time traffic reports.
“I like you, Siri,” Scorsese says at the end of the ad. “You’re going places.”
Bryan Buckley, who directed the Scorsese spot, went on to helm the brilliant Siri ad starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. (Apple coincidentally released that one on July 23 several years later.)
While fun to watch, the Scorsese ad overinflated Siri’s abilities. Many users noted this type of stretch during Siri’s first year, when the functionality Apple described did not jibe with reality. Critics singled out real-time traffic updates as something Siri definitely could not do, although rumors predicted the feature would arrive in the next iteration of iOS.
Watch the Scorsese ad yourself to see how well it compares to Siri’s current capabilities:
Apple goes Hollywood
Over the years, Apple has enjoyed relationships with some of the top filmmakers in Hollywood. In the 1990s, director Spike Lee appeared in an Apple commercial. Behind the camera, Apple has employed the likes of Spike Jonze, David Fincher and Errol Morris.
Today, directors like Steven Soderbergh increasingly use the iPhone to shoot their films. And of course, Cupertino’s Hollywood ties began to seriously ramp up with the launch of Apple TV+ in 2019. And Scorsese came full circle, with his Oscar-nominated epic Killers of the Flower Moon arriving on Apple TV+ in early 2024.
… while Siri struggles to keep up
Siri, on the other hand, still lags behind rivals like Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. Apple added new Siri voices in iOS 14.5, and continues to make the virtual assistant sound more human. However, the fluid conversation Scorsese has with his phone in this ad still isn’t possible, given Siri’s current state. That could all change in the coming months, however. Siri will take center stage in Apple Intelligence, the suite of advanced AI features that will start rolling out to certain iPhones, iPads and Macs later this year.
“Thanks to the capabilities of Apple Intelligence, this year marks the start of a new era for Siri,” said Kelsey Peterson, Apple’s director of machine learning and Al, during the WWDC24 keynote in June.
The AI-powered Siri reportedly will begin beta testing in January 2025.
What do you think of the Martin Scorsese ad for Siri?
Do you remember the first wave of Siri commercials, including the Martin Scorsese ad, for the iPhone 4s? Were you impressed by Siri when you first used it? Let us know in the comments below.
