Apple won't wait until next year for some Siri improvements

With the release of iOS 18, Siri is expected to introduce several new features:

1. Natural Language Updates: Siri will be more conversational and able to understand you even when you trip over your words.
2. Greater Knowledge of Apple Products: Siri will have improved knowledge and understanding of Apple products, which will enhance device support features.
3. Typing to Siri: Users will be able to type to Siri without diving into accessibility settings, making it more convenient for those who prefer typing over voice commands.
4. Customizable Wake Word: iOS 18 beta testers can change Siri's wake word to whatever they want using a new accessibility feature called Vocal Shortcuts.
5. Integration with ChatGPT: Siri will offer to pass requests it can't handle to a GPT-4-powered ChatGPT, giving users the opportunity to agree or decline the assistance2.

These updates are aimed at making Siri more user-friendly, versatile, and efficient in handling user requests.

In the upcoming updates, Siri's ability to understand natural language is expected to improve significantly. This will be achieved through the incorporation of advanced voice recognition technologies and the integration of large language models (LLMs), such as those powering ChatGPT. As a result, Siri will become more skilled at processing the way people speak, enabling it to understand more complex and nuanced questions and provide accurate responses.

One of the major enhancements will be Siri's ability to handle tasks such as setting timers, creating calendar appointments, adding items to Reminders, and summarizing text more efficiently. Additionally, Siri will become better at understanding context, reasoning through language, and generating appropriate responses. This will allow for more seamless conversations with the AI, as it will be able to understand more complex and nuanced requests.

Moreover, Apple is rumored to be planning to add AI to as many Apple apps as possible, which could even include a feature in the Messages app to craft complex messages. These improvements are expected to make Siri more context-aware and powerful, allowing it to multitask and handle complex requests simultaneously, thereby improving efficiency.

Overall, the upcoming updates to Siri's natural language understanding capabilities will make the virtual assistant more intuitive, responsive, and capable of handling a broader range of requests.