A New Era for Siri and Google Assistant: Generative AI Takes the Spotlight
Next week's WWDC 2024 keynote is poised to be a critical moment for Apple. The stakes for this presentation are extraordinarily high, arguably surpassing the anticipation that surrounded last year’s Vision Pro announcement. For Tim Cook and his team, delivering on expectations is more than just about market reactions; it’s about solidifying Apple's position in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Next week's WWDC 2024 keynote is poised to be a critical moment for Apple. The stakes for this presentation are extraordinarily high, arguably surpassing the anticipation that surrounded last year’s Vision Pro announcement. For Tim Cook and his team, delivering on expectations is more than just about market reactions; it’s about solidifying Apple's position in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
On Monday, Apple is set to unveil its artificial intelligence strategy. This has been a pressing issue for Cupertino over the past few years, as rivals like Google and Microsoft have already made significant strides in generative AI. The consensus within the industry is that systems powered by large language models, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, will drastically transform how we interact with our devices.
Rumors suggest that Apple will announce a partnership with OpenAI, integrating its advanced AI capabilities into the iPhone and Mac. Apple's immediate plan appears to be a deep integration of generative AI across its ecosystem, with Siri at the heart of this initiative. Since its introduction in 2011, Apple has aimed to make Siri an essential component of all its operating systems.
Despite these efforts, Siri has not lived up to the revolutionary promise Apple once touted. The primary reason for this shortfall is technological capability. The concept of a voice assistant predates Siri by decades, yet no one had fully cracked it because of its inherent complexity. As smartphones have evolved into multifunctional devices, the tasks expected of voice assistants have grown exponentially.
While the Stanford Research Institute made significant strides with Siri's initial development, the technology needed to deliver a seamless user experience was not yet mature. Siri co-founder Norman Winarsky highlighted this issue in 2018, explaining that Apple's original vision for Siri was much narrower, focusing on entertainment and travel tasks. "These are hard problems, and when you’re a company dealing with up to a billion people, the problems get harder yet," Winarsky noted. "They’re probably looking for a level of perfection they can’t get."
Generative AI, while impressive, is also not perfect. Issues like hallucinations remain problematic. Despite the massive excitement around AI technologies over the past few years, it’s clear we are still in the early stages. Google, for instance, has been quite aggressive in its implementation, notably prioritizing Gemini results at the top of search queries.
When something is highlighted in the world's leading search engine, it must deliver accurate information reliably. Google labels Gemini results as products of its "Search Labs," but most users likely do not grasp the implications of this label regarding product maturity, nor are they inclined to seek out additional details.
In conversations with researchers over the past few years, many have described the results from large language models as "magic." This characterization speaks to the enigmatic nature of these technologies, even as it acknowledges the impressive advancements made in the field.
Arthur C. Clarke aptly summarized this phenomenon: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Google has taken a more measured approach in integrating Gemini into Android. Instead of outright replacing Google Assistant, Google has incorporated its generative AI platform into various applications. Users can also choose to set Gemini as their default assistant on Pixel devices, a process that requires active user involvement.
Though Gemini has not yet fully taken over Android, Google is clearly signaling a future where it might replace Google Assistant. An announcement to this effect seemed imminent at the recent I/O conference, but Google wisely opted to allow more development time.
Whether the Assistant brand will persist is ultimately a marketing decision. Apple remains deeply committed to the Siri brand, having invested over a decade in promoting it to consumers. However, the era of generative AI is poised to dominate the smart assistant space eventually.
Voice assistants are currently facing a critical juncture. Smart speakers, which serve as a broader indicator for platforms like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, have seen shipment declines following a pandemic-era boom. While it’s premature to declare the category doomed, it will struggle without significant advancements.
Generative AI is the logical successor, but early devices built around these models, such as the Humane Ai Pin and Rabbit R1, demonstrate that there is still considerable progress to be made before these technologies offer a consistent experience for mainstream users.
Apple will reveal its strategy on Monday. Speculation suggests that after the setback of its electric car project, many employees have been redirected to generative AI initiatives. It appears Apple has ceded a significant head start to competitors. Therefore, partnering with a dominant player like OpenAI seems to be the most strategic move.
Shortly after Siri was acquired, Steve Jobs was asked if Apple aimed to outdo Google in its domain. "It’s an AI company," Jobs responded. "We’re not going into the search business. We don’t care about it. Other people do it well."
Apple's current approach to generative AI echoes this sentiment. At this stage, Apple cannot outperform OpenAI in its own arena, so collaboration is the chosen path. However, even the best current models need further refinement before they can completely supplant existing smart assistants.