| Cult of Mac

Apple’s ‘Hey Siri’ trigger phrase might soon shrink

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Apple’s AI-driven voice-controlled digital assistant Siri
Activating Siri may soon get simpler.
Image: Apple
WWDC23

The “Hey Siri” trigger phrase for Apple’s virtual assistant could go away soon, replaced with a shorter version. And the change might be announced at WWDC23 next week.

Being able to activate Siri by simply saying “Siri” near an iPhone, HomePod, etc., could make activating Apple’s virtual assistant easier.

Here’s your chance to work for Apple as an AI engineer

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Siri desperately needs some ChatGPT-like smarts
There's a lot Siri doesn't understand. And that's a problem.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Want to make Siri smart again and help boost Apple’s artificial-intelligence chops across the board? A recent Apple job posting shows it seeks “machine-learning engineers with a background and/or interest in conversational and generative AI.”

“This role will play a critical part in helping Apple change the way humans learn about learning,” the listing noted.

Hard to say if the new engineers will inject more gray matter into Siri, but one source suggests they might work on device-based apps for Apple’s AR/VR headset, expected to show on Monday at WWDC23 Monday.

Job postings hint Apple is developing its own generative AI chatbot

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Siri may be in for new voice lessons soon.
Siri might get smarter.
Photo: Apple

Apple is apparently responding to criticism that it doesn’t offer real competition for OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, two AI-powered chatbots that have made so many headlines in recent months. Job postings show the Mac-maker is on a hiring spree for people skilled in generative AI.

Perhaps Apple’s voice-activated system Siri is in for a significant jump in capabilities.

iOS 16.5, iPadOS 16.5 and macOS Ventura 13.4 arrive

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iOS 16.5
Time to check for updates on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Following a beta period spanning over a month, Apple has released the stable build of iOS 16.5, iPadOS 16.5, and macOS Ventura 13.4 to the public. Your Apple Watch and Apple TV are also getting a new update.

Unlike iOS 16.4, the latest iOS release is not packing a ton of new features. There are a few improvements and enhancements, but otherwise, this is mostly a bug-fixing release.

Here comes the MacBook Air we’ve been waiting for [The CultCast]

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15-inch MacBook Air will be a dream machine.
The 15-inch MacBook Air will be a dream machine.
Image: Cult of Mac
WWDC23

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: What will WWDC23 bring us? In addition to a sweeping look at the future of all Apple’s platforms, it sounds like we’ll get some major new hardware. Yes, there’s that $3,000 AR/VR headset, but there’s also something we really want: a 15-inch MacBook Air.

Also on The CultCast:

  • The Apple Watch interface will get a major upgrade with watchOS 10. And the same holds true for Stage Manger in iPadOS 17.
  • All about Apple’s new Rapid Security Response system for deploying urgent upgrades.
  • Shockingly, internal strife seems to be one of the things holding back Siri and Apple’s artificial intelligence efforts.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Siri can command this robot to clear the air

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The little bot will tell you how clean the air in your space is, and clean it for you.
The little bot will tell you how clean the air in your space is, and clean it for you.
Photo: nara Pro

When you start to worry the air in your home could make you sick, an air purifier can help. And they’re getting smarter (but hopefully not “rise of the machines” smart a la Terminator).

The nara Pro, which the company bills as “the versatile air purifier robot,” runs a two-stage system via artificial intelligence that works with Siri and HomeKit, as well as other smart-home systems.

And you can get a good deal on it on the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform.

Former Apple engineer explains why Siri still sucks

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Siri desperately needs some ChatGPT-like smarts
There's a lot Siri doesn't understand. And that's a problem.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Siri simply can’t compete with ChatGPT and other chatbots because it was built with the wrong system, according to someone who was once charged with improving Apple’s voice assistant.

But there’s hope for future improvement, as Apple is reportedly working on a replacement that is being built to be more like ChatGPT.

Siri desperately needs some ChatGPT-like smarts

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Siri desperately needs some ChatGPT-like smarts
There's a lot Siri doesn't understand. And that's a problem.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Users have complained about the limitations of the Siri “intelligent” assistant for years, but now that OpenAI’s ChatGPT is showing the world that artificial intelligence can do amazing things, it’s never been more obvious that Apple’s version is as dumb as a bag of hammers.

Not only does this make Apple look bad, it makes HomePod less useful. Really, it makes all the company’s products less useful than they could be.

Apple needs to step up its AI game or it risks being left out of an important new wave of computing.