A first look at Apple Intelligence and its (slightly) smarter Siri

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the latest updates to Siri, Apple's virtual assistant, in the iOS 18 developer preview. Key points include:

• Siri gets a visual update, with the phone's edges glowing when Siri is invoked
• Siri has improved language understanding and can better handle follow-up questions
• New "Apple Intelligence" features are being introduced, including text-based Siri interaction, AI-powered writing tools, and email prioritization
• While Siri's capabilities are improving, it is still primarily a "let me Google that for you" assistant, with more significant updates expected in future releases

🙋 Q&A

[01] Siri's Visual Update

1. What is the new visual change to Siri in iOS 18?

• The edges of the phone will glow when Siri is invoked, making it obvious that Siri is listening.

2. What is the purpose of this visual change?

• The glow around the edges is meant to make it clear that Siri has been activated, indicating that something different is happening.

[02] Apple Intelligence Features

1. What are the new Apple Intelligence features introduced in iOS 18?

• Text-based Siri interaction: Tapping the bottom of the screen twice brings up a new way to interact with Siri through text.
• AI-powered writing tools: These include features like AI proofreading, writing suggestions, and text summarization.
• Email prioritization: Apple Intelligence surfaces what it deems to be important emails in a card at the top of the inbox.

2. How are the writing tools integrated into the OS?

• The writing tools are tucked away, and users may miss them if they're not actively looking for them.
• They are most useful in the Notes app, where users can have recordings automatically transcribed and summarized.

3. How effective are the email prioritization features?

• The email summaries provided by Apple Intelligence are generally accurate and helpful, though not perfect.
• The emails marked as priority are genuinely important, which is a promising sign.

[03] Siri's Capabilities

1. How has Siri's language understanding improved in this update?

• Siri is better at parsing natural language, waiting patiently through hesitations and "um"s as the user asks questions.
• Siri also understands when the user is asking a follow-up question.

2. What are the limitations of Siri's current capabilities?

• Siri mostly remains a "let me Google that for you" assistant, with the most significant updates still to come in future releases.
• The article notes that Siri needs to connect the dots between Apple Intelligence's understanding of email, photos, and other content, and Siri's ability to take action on that information.