Apple plans major AI update for Siri to give users more control over apps: Bloomberg

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is planning a major update for its virtual assistant Siri that could allow users to control specific app features on the iPhone with their voice, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

The overhauled Siri will reportedly arrive next year as an update to iPhone 18.

The update will allow Siri to analyze activity on users’ phones and automatically enable Siri-controlled features, the report added. The iPhone-maker launched Siri shortcuts in 2018, letting users manually create commands for app features.

Users will only be able to use Siri to control features in apps built by Apple (AAPL) in the beginning, the report said.

According to the report, Siri will only be able to process one command at a time. However, Apple (AAPL) plans to eventually allow Siri to chain multiple requests together.

The company plans to handle more basic tasks on-device, while using the cloud to power advance capabilities, the report said.

Apple (AAPL) and OpenAI are reportedly in the final stages of discussions to bring the startup’s technology to the next iPhone as the Cupertino, California-based tech giant looks to add AI features to its devices.

The iPhone-maker and Microsoft (MSFT)-backed OpenAI are reportedly finalizing terms for a deal to integrate the latter’s ChatGPT features in iOS 18, the next iPhone operating system.

Apple’s (AAPL) senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi has asked his team to build as many new AI features as possible for this year’s OS update, the report said.

The company will hold its annual developer conference, known as WWDC, on June 10. There are heavy expectations that Apple will make several generative AI-related announcements and bring the technology into its ecosystem.