Apple Reportedly Developing New AI Personality for Future Robots, Moving Beyond Siri

Apple may be working on an AI 'personality' to replace Siri on its robots

Siri may get replaced on Apple's home robots (Image credit: Apple) Apple is rumored to be tapping into the capabilities of generative AI to build a new 'personality' that could live inside upcoming robotic devices, potentially working in a similar way to how Siri currently operates on the iPhone. That's according to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who is one of the more reliable tipsters when it comes to future Apple products. Gurman has previously talked about Apple's home robot plans, he's now added more details about a potential AI assistant. "While Siri is the digital assistant on Apple's current devices, the company is working on another human-like interface based on generative AI," Gurman writes. "It could run on the tabletop product and other future Apple robotics devices, I'm told." Apple wants that tabletop robot - perhaps something along the lines of the Amazon Astro - to cost less than $1,000 (about £760 / AU$1,475), according to Gurman. However, it sounds like these robotic devices are still very much at the early stages of development, and there are no guarantees that they'll ever see the light of day. What we do know for sure is that Apple is making a lot of noise about Apple Intelligence, the suite of generative AI features - text creation, text summaries, image generation, and more - that are making their way to iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers later this year, together with other major software updates. Given that Apple is now fully signed up to next-gen AI, it makes sense that it would be working on a project like a new robot personality - one that would be more capable and more natural in conversation than Siri is right now. That said, we know that a lot of the generative AI smarts on Apple devices are going to be powered by ChatGPT, at least for the time being. Apple clearly has some catching up to do in this area before it can launch a generative AI chatbot of its own. Gurman himself says there's "a lot of promise" in Apple's robotics work, while also admitting "it's not clear" just how committed Apple will be to launching an actual home robot. Next up for the company is the launch of the iPhone 16.

Apple Might Introduce a New AI "Personality" Like Siri for Robots

Apple's robots are still in early stages of development, so we won't see the new AI personality any time soon. We have already heard that Apple is developing a tabletop home device with a robotic arm, which would mark Apple's official entry into the robotics market. Now, we have some details on the potential AI assistant. According to the latest reports by Mark Gurman, Apple is working on a human-like interface based on Generative AI that could run the tabletop device and future Apple robotic devices. This Apple AI personality will work similarly to how Siri currently works on an iPhone. "One vital piece of the robotic work is the creation of a personality. While Siri is the digital assistant on Apple's current devices, the company is working on another humanlike interface based on generative AI. It could run on the tabletop product and other future Apple robotics devices"- Mark Gurman At WWDC 2024, Apple finally began its AI journey with Apple Intelligence, which brings a suite of AI features to iPhones, iPads, and Macs. We'll soon see Writing Tools, a more powerful Siri, ChatGPT integration, and more. In a few weeks, we'll see these features on every Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone. Apple appears to be all-in for the next-gen AI. So, focusing on a new robot personality that will allow more capable and natural conversations than Siri makes sense. The robotics industry has a long way to go. There's a lot of work that Apple and other players can do. Currently, the robots available in the market cost a fortune and don't pack enough features. On top, there are security and privacy concerns to address. So, Apple has a lot of catching up on its home robots project. Also, a lot of Apple's AI features will be powered by ChatGPT. So, Apple has a ton of work to do before launching a generative AI of its own. Gurman added that there's a lot of promise in Apple's robotic work and plenty of reasons to be skeptical. After the lackluster sales of Apple Vision Pro and the cancellation of the decade-long Apple Car project, it's not clear how much the Cupertino tech giant is actually committed to launching something new into the markets. However, if Apple wants to explore another way to consumer's lives, a home robot makes all the sense. The reports also suggest that Apple might price its first tabletop robot somewhere in competition with the Amazon Astro. So, we might see a price tag of around $1000. It's worth knowing that these robotic devices are in the early stages of development. So, there's no solid evidence or an official statement to make us believe we will ever see them.

Step aside Siri, Apple could release robots with their very own AI 'personality'

Apple's push into robotics could see Siri get a younger sibling Earlier this week we heard news from Mark Gurman about Apple's plans to enter the world of robotics, with products designed to "solve first world problems". In addition to that, Gurman claims Apple could utilize generative AI to create a new "personality" for its robot devices. Like Siri, but specifically built for whatever robotic devices Apple cooks up in its labs. From the sounds of things this wouldn't be a replacement for Siri, and more like a sibling AI. "While Siri is the digital assistant on Apple's current devices, the company is working on another human-like interface based on generative AI," Gurman said, "It could run on the tabletop product and other future Apple robotics devices, I'm told." The tabletop device Gurman references here is allegedly the first robotic device Apple is developing. Codenamed J595, this device is said to include cameras and a robotic actuator at the base -- while it's claimed the company will eventually move onto mobile and humanoid robots sometime in the next decade or so. However we still don't know many details about these machines, or what they will be able to do. Only that they're designed to complement the existing Apple ecosystem of phones and computers. Which is why Siri probably isn't going to be going anywhere. With a brand new subsection of the Apple ecosystem, it makes sense to develop a bespoke AI assistant rather than trying to jerry rig Siri into working across everything. Just as long as the two can communicate, that is. The question is whether this new AI assistant will be running on ChatGPT, like chatbot features coming to Apple Intelligence later this year, or if Apple will be developing its own chatbot. Seeing as how development on the robots is supposed to be in the very early stages, it would make sense for Apple to push its own services instead of relying on a third party for yet another product. We're still a long way off these products getting announced, let alone released, so odds are we won't be hearing much else about this for a while yet. Though no doubt we'll be hearing plenty of rumors and leaks in the months and years to come. In the meantime there's an Apple event confirmed for September 9, and that's going to see the launch of the iPhone 16, Apple Watch Ultra 3 and even more. There may not be any more robots, but at least Apple's giving us plenty to look forward to.

Apple's Rumored Robot May Ditch Siri for a More Human-Like AI Personality

Apple may sideline Siri in its rumored tabletop home robot and replace it with a more human-like AI personality, says Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "One vital piece of the robotic work is the creation of a personality. While Siri is the digital assistant on Apple's current devices, the company is working on another human-like interface based on generative AI," Gurman writes in the latest edition of his weekly Power On newsletter. "It could run on the tabletop product and other future Apple robotics devices, I'm told." Siri has lagged behind other digital assistants. Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 is set to include a number of Siri upgrades, but not until 2025. After axing its car project, Apple sees the home robot as a new product category and source of revenue. It will have a motorized base capable of rotating the iPad-like display on top and a "thin robotic arm" that controls the screen, which can move up or down or turn 360 degrees. Gurman notes that Apple seeks to solve several "first-world problems" with this robot, such as accessing the iPad from a distance, controlling smart home appliances remotely, and capturing photos or attending video calls hands-free. Naturally, AI will be "at the core" of this and all other robots Apple creates in the future, he says. A capable human-like AI assistant or "personality" might just make the robot easier to access and more fun to use. Kevin Lynch, Apple's vice president of technology, is leading the project, and Apple reportedly plans to launch its first smart home robot for about $1,000 by 2026 or 2027, Gurman says. The robot could help Apple compete with Amazon and Google in the smart home business, where Echo and Nest devices currently dominate the smart display market.

Report: Apple working on next-gen humanlike AI 'personality' that's not Siri

Later this fall, Apple will ship a brand new, Apple Intelligence-infused Siri in iOS 18.1. The revamped digital assistant will gain a variety of new features that hopefully make it smarter than ever. But according to a new report, there's another AI 'personality' in the works at Apple. This other personality, entirely separate from Siri, is being built for future Apple robotics devices. When Apple Intelligence arrives in iOS 18.1, it will provide the first experience with a new and improved Siri. But Apple's work on the digital assistant is only getting started there. Many of Siri's most powerful new capabilities aren't scheduled to arrive until some time in 2025. Despite all the promise of this up-and-coming Siri, Mark Gurman at Bloomberg reports that Apple is already developing an alternative personality. The news arrives in a larger piece outlining Apple's efforts in robotics. Gurman writes in his Power On newsletter: One vital piece of the robotic work is the creation of a personality. While Siri is the digital assistant on Apple's current devices, the company is working on another humanlike interface based on generative AI. It could run on the tabletop product and other future Apple robotics devices, I'm told. This paragraph raises a number of interesting questions about Siri's future: With Apple's first robotics projects not expected to debut until 2026 or 2027, it's far too early to get answers to these questions. This report is perplexing, to say the least. I can't imagine Apple creating a brand new assistant for its new products, even robotics devices. If it wanted to ditch the Siri branding, it likely would have done so now, with the launch of Apple Intelligence. Clearly a personality for Apple robotics devices would need to do different things than Siri can do now. But does that merit a whole new name and branding? I'm skeptical. Do you think Apple should create a new AI personality for future products? Or is sticking with Siri the best move? Let us know in the comments.

The next Apple digital assistant could be scarily humanlike - Phandroid

Apple's Siri has been pretty much a hot mess ever since it was introduced. We're hoping that with Apple Intelligence, Siri will see marked improvement. But it seems that Apple isn't done just yet. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, Apple is working on a new humanlike digital assistant. Before all you iOS and macOS users get too excited, there's a chance that it might not make its way into the iPhone, iPad, or Mac computers. Instead, Gurman believes that this new Apple digital assistant will be used for the company's future robotics devices. We've actually heard rumors that Apple is exploring the idea of personal robotics, and this new assistant could be part of it. So why not just use Siri? Apparently even with the help of Apple Intelligence, Siri is not powerful enough for Apple's robotics. This digital assistant is said to be powered by generative AI and will be more humanlike than ever. It is possible that down the road, Apple could eventually consolidate their assistants across its products. Maybe for now and for their developmental purposes, Siri cannot do what they want it to do, so they just made a new digital assistant instead. In any case, take it with a grain of salt since we doubt that we'll be seeing any personal robots from Apple anytime soon.