While Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) is still reeling from last week’s collapse, the tech industry is abuzz with advancements in AI and chatbots. Microsoft-backed OpenAI launched GPT-4, a new language model, while Anthropic released the Claude chatbot. Google announced the integration of AI into its Workspace tools, and Microsoft Bing introduced a chatbot-enabled search. However, Apple seems to be lagging behind in this race.
Apple’s slow evolution of its AI assistant, Siri, has left it far behind its competitors. Although the company held an internal event last month that focused on AI and large language models, there have been no significant developments since. According to a report from the New York Times, many teams at Apple, including those working on Siri, are testing “language-generating concepts” regularly. But the lack of progress has left many users frustrated with Siri’s limited functionality.
Clunky Code and Limited Database to Blame for Siri’s Slow Evolution
Former Apple engineer John Burke, who worked on Siri, attributes the slow evolution of the company’s AI assistant to “clunky code,” which makes it difficult to push even basic feature updates. Burke also stated that Siri’s database is extensive, with a vast pile of words. Adding new features or phrases requires rebuilding the database, a process that can take up to six weeks. As a result, updates have been infrequent and limited, leaving Siri behind other AI assistants in terms of functionality.
The lack of progress in Siri’s development is particularly frustrating for users who struggle to interact with it. Siri has long been criticized for not understanding queries, even in the same language, if spoken with different accents or phonetics. This limitation has been a significant drawback for the AI assistant, given the diversity of accents and dialects worldwide. In contrast, competitors like Alexa and Google Assistant have made significant strides in understanding accents and dialects from various parts of the world.
Apple’s only attempt to improve Siri’s functionality has been to enable a feature under accessibility settings, allowing users to chat with it. However, this is not a permanent solution, and users are clamouring for better functionality from the AI assistant.
Apple Needs to Catch Up with Competitors in AI and Chatbot Development
As chatbots and AI continue to gain popularity, Apple’s inability to keep up with competitors puts the company at a disadvantage. While other companies have made significant strides in chatbot and AI development, Apple has yet to produce a comparable product. The lack of updates and improvements to Siri has left it lagging behind other AI assistants, leading many users to switch to more functional alternatives.
Apple needs to invest more resources and effort into AI and chatbot development to remain competitive in the tech industry. With the vast resources available to the company, it has the potential to produce a chatbot that can compete with the best in the industry. However, until there is a significant push in this direction, Apple will continue to lag behind its competitors in this space.
In conclusion, while other tech giants are making significant strides in AI and chatbot development, Apple has yet to catch up. The slow evolution of Siri, attributed to “clunky code” and a limited database, has left the company behind its competitors in terms of functionality. Apple needs to invest more resources and effort into AI and chatbot development to remain competitive in the industry. Until then, users will continue to be frustrated with Siri’s limited functionality, and the company will be at a disadvantage in the ever-evolving tech industry.