Google Gemini-Powered Siri Will Reportedly Have These 7 New Features

[szw-mapple fan]

So what about privacy? I trust Apple to safeguard privacy (well as much as I trust any company) but I don't with Google. Are they going to be collecting the data that is shared with Siri? Is this the model being hosted by Apple or will it be run on Google servers?

From the press release it sounds like Apple will be running Gemini on their own servers (unlike the ChatGPT integration that still runs on OpenAI servers) so if you trust Apple with your data for the most part there shouldn't be any significant difference privacy-wise.

 

[marinersaptcomplex]

Ugh not Siri as therapist.

The point of therapy is to equip someone with the tools they need to answer their own questions. The point of an LLM is to answer a question. Those two things are not in any way similar, and until we hardcode an LLM to stop “solving” things when giving emotional support, we are merely outsourcing our anxieties and troubles to a machine temporarily.

 

[sw1tcher]

wut?
Are we really going to live like this?

Emotional support from your phone?

There are a lot of single / lonely people out there. If there weren't, how else could the app "Are You Dead?" be the #1 paid app on Apple's China App store?

An App Called 'Are You Dead?' Is Climbing the Apple Charts

The simple app is now the top paid app on China’s Apple App Store and has reached the sixth spot in the U.S.

gizmodo.com

A trending mobile app is making it hard to ignore just how lonely and bleak modern life can feel for some.

The app called “Are You Dead?” is currently the top paid app on China’s Apple App Store. For 8 Chinese yuan ($1.15), users can add an emergency contact to the app and then check in daily by tapping a bright green round button with a cartoon ghost at the center. If a user fails to check in for two consecutive days, the app sends an email to their emergency contact on the third day.

It’s a simple idea, but one meant to offer a sense of safety to the millions of people in China who live alone. The app arrives as the country grapples with an aging population, the long-term effects of its one-child policies, and rapid urbanization that has resulted in more people moving into cities and away from their families.


It's said that loneliness is a public health concern.

Health Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness

Learn about the health, social, and economic effects of social isolation and loneliness in the US.

www.cdc.gov

Social isolation and loneliness are widespread problems in the U.S., posing a serious threat to our mental and physical health.

- About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. report feeling lonely.
- About 1 in 4 U.S. adults report not having social and emotional support.


Note that I'm not saying A.I. can serve as replacement for real life personal contact. Only time will tell, but it might be better than nothing.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I feel like I'm on crazy pills.

Am I the only one who wants to spend way LESS time with their phone?

The last thing I want to do is have a relationship with it.

 

[IceCool]

all very valid concerns.
apple insider does a great job of explaining all about this.

Gemini-trained Apple Intelligence will work like other LLMs, says unsurprising report

Insider sources have confirmed what everyone already knew — Apple Foundation Models trained by Google Gemini will have LLM features seen in other AI tools.

appleinsider.com

This article is excellent and I think everyone interested in this topic should give it read if they haven’t already.

 

[Wx_Man]

Lmao, I guess apple will do it all over again, announcement at WWDC in June, said to launch in September, then actually release nothing in the end.

Fool me once shame on you….

Fool me twice….I’m going back to Google for a pure Gemini powered experience on a brand new Pixel phone.

 

[Wolf1701]

I feel like I'm on crazy pills.

Am I the only one who wants to spend way LESS time with their phone?

The last thing I want to do is have a relationship with it.

Soon you will be able to talk about this issue and deal with these difficult situations in your relationship.

 

[Silberbogen]

Sounds like Apple is again crying wolf.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Soon you will be able to talk about this issue and deal with these difficult situations in your relationship.

Being on an iPhone 13 Mini, I'll probably get told "here's what I found for you on the web"

 

[Leon Nash]

Emotional support? I would personally want some emotional damage, I miss my ex.

Seriously speaking I would have wanted Apple to come up with their own solution, but as they obviously are not capable to do that, for me Gemini is the best alternative out there.

 

[MacFan782040]

I’m absolutely certain that AI shouldn’t pretend to “provide emotional support.” It’s software, not a human being. What a terrible idea.

Google "chatGPT is better than my therapist"

 

[Wx_Man]

There are a lot of single / lonely people out there. If there weren't, how else could the app "Are You Dead?" be the #1 paid app on Apple's China App store?

An App Called 'Are You Dead?' Is Climbing the Apple Charts

The simple app is now the top paid app on China’s Apple App Store and has reached the sixth spot in the U.S.

gizmodo.com

A trending mobile app is making it hard to ignore just how lonely and bleak modern life can feel for some.

The app called “Are You Dead?” is currently the top paid app on China’s Apple App Store. For 8 Chinese yuan ($1.15), users can add an emergency contact to the app and then check in daily by tapping a bright green round button with a cartoon ghost at the center. If a user fails to check in for two consecutive days, the app sends an email to their emergency contact on the third day.

It’s a simple idea, but one meant to offer a sense of safety to the millions of people in China who live alone. The app arrives as the country grapples with an aging population, the long-term effects of its one-child policies, and rapid urbanization that has resulted in more people moving into cities and away from their families.


It's said that loneliness is a public health concern.

Health Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness

Learn about the health, social, and economic effects of social isolation and loneliness in the US.

www.cdc.gov

Social isolation and loneliness are widespread problems in the U.S., posing a serious threat to our mental and physical health.

- About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. report feeling lonely.
- About 1 in 4 U.S. adults report not having social and emotional support.


Note that I'm not saying A.I. can serve as replacement for real life personal contact. Only time will tell, but it might be better than nothing.

Google just settled a lawsuit over an AI chatbot they invested in which was found in court to be culpable for a teenager’s suicide.

Tim Apple and crew don’t have a clue as to what they are about to unleash into their once beloved and trusted platform of over 40 years. Just look at the shambolic and panicked release of v0.9 beta of Apple “Intelligence” in 2024 to which they haven’t recovered yet. Only to realize that public perception is now reality and that the public thinks Apple is hopelessly behind in AI and thus they’re panicking again by renting their main competitor’s AI to the tune of 1 Billion dollars per year as a replacement of their own homegrown AI efforts.

Once Apple neuters Gemini to Apple standards the public, after experiencing the free wheeling, Wild West version of all the AIs out there, much less the cesspool that is Grok, they will STILL think that Apple is behind in AI because it won’t undress Taylor Swift or their hot homeroom teacher. Or marry them. Or become their therapist.

Google and Character.AI to Settle Lawsuit Over Teenager’s Death

The settlement came in the case of a 14-year-old in Florida who had killed himself after developing a relationship with an A.I. chatbot.

www.nytimes.com

 

[turbineseaplane]

Tim Apple and crew don’t have a clue as to what they are about to unleash into their once beloved and trusted platform of over 40 years.

The worst part is that he/them doesn't seem to care.

If it "make number go up", he's in.

It's depressing to watch.

 

[TheDauterive]

I've already learned to use other AI products and I'm happy with them. The only thing I would love to be able to do with Siri is to play music using two conditions instead of just one, e.g. "Play my favorite songs by Fleetwood Mac."

(isFavorite = true) AND (artist = “Fleetwood Mac”)

But that seems as far beyond Siri's capabilities as space flight was to Neanderthals. 🫤

I asked ChatGPT why this seemingly simple thing was so difficult for Siri, and it gave me a long, sensibile answer. Then I asked, "...but if you had access to Apple Music, you could do it, right?" It's response is a telling indictment of just how sad Siri really is:

"If I had full, programmatic access to your Apple Music library data (favorites flag + artist metadata) then yes, this is a trivial query. It’s exactly the kind of thing computers are good at: filter favorites, then filter artist, then play/shuffle."

Me: "Did you hear that? Trivial queries are exactly the kind of things computers are good at."
Siri: "What's a computer?"

 

[steve62388]

Tell more stories and provide emotional support? I'm sorry but why did they bother specifying that? Nobody is going to get excited by those features.

 

[Macalway]

Nothing like a machine helping with your emotions.

 

[Johnny907]

uh. I don’t need “emotional support” from a manipulative LLM, thanks.
I just need Siri to adjust the GD volume on my phone when I’m hiking without 1) an internet connection or 2) having to unlock my phone which negates the point of asking Siri in the first place.

 

[Wx_Man]

My Siri will lose all functionality because I will probably disable it. 😭

Until Apple takes away that option when Apple (Gemini) Intelligence is literally baked into the kernel of the OS.

Probably by the end of 2027 if not sooner you will see, “quietly”, all options to turn off Siri and/or Apple (Gemini) Intelligence. It will be as integral as WebKit.

In other words…AI generically and Apple (Gemini) Intelligence specifically WILL be the ipso facto OS on every platform including Apple’s platforms.

 

[Johnny907]

Nothing like a machine helping with your emotions. Then again, at least it's not woke LOL

You haven’t tried Gemini, I see.

 

[TheDauterive]

It would be nice if one could have an option to make the action button call up Chat GPT or Grok. I find Siri annoying.

I don't know if this is what you want, but you can kinda do the exact thing you describe:

Action Button > Controls > "Open ChatGPT" or "Open ChatGPT Voice"

Despite a few annoyances, "Open ChatGPT Voice" is very helpful and can serve as a Siri substitute for a lot of things:

Action Button > "What time does Fresh Market open and how much is gas right now at Costco?"

It had no problem at all answering this.

Action Button > "Please provide me with emotional support!"

I didn't actually ask because I don't know and I don't want to know. 😂

 

[Macalway]

You haven’t tried Gemini, I see.

Right, I edited that. Thanks.

 

[Wx_Man]

The worst part is that he/them doesn't seem to care.

If it "make number go up", he's in.

It's depressing to watch.

It’s depressing but not entirely surprising. Once you lose the visionary you tend to lose the vision.

 

[macmac30]

Does anyone know if Apple plans on bringing the new Siri to the HomePods?

 

[Gathomblipoob]

I mean some of that stuff, sure fine. But can we please dump the whole “provide emotional support” stuff? That is a whole pile of ick.

Great. I'm gonna wind up marrying my iPhone, aren't I?

 

[Yr Blues]

I don't know if I want my AI to hallucinate more stories or be my emotional support entity. Just stick to automating tasks and improving productivity please where it's actually useful.

Hallucinations are a feature. 😆