Questionable Rumor Claims Siri iCloud Integration and Contextual Learning Coming in iOS 11

[MacRumors]

Siri is set to gain contextual learning abilities and deep integration with iMessage and iCloud in iOS 11, according to an unverified rumor shared by Israeli site The Verifier.

Citing information "received directly from the development teams based in Israel and the U.S.", the site says Siri's AI codebase will receive a major update that will enable it to learn a user's usage habits, similar to abilities claimed by Samsung for its new virtual assistant Bixby.

The upgrade is said to extend Siri's capabilities beyond its current limited command pool by stacking multiple queries and offering different actions depending on the context. For example, Siri's integration into iMessage means it will be able to offer suggestions relevant to the ongoing conversation, such as where to dine out, how to get there, and one-step Uber taxi booking.

In addition, the claim is that Siri's integration with iCloud will enable it to identify meaningful connections between the various devices associated with an Apple ID account and offer practicable actions that crisscross Mac and iOS systems.

Moreover, Apple will embed Siri deeper into the Apple TV and Apple Watch experience, with significant updates to tvOS and watchOS. Advanced Siri abilities are also said to extend to a "smart clock" feature, although no other details were given.

The Verifier does not have an established track record for accurate rumors, making it unclear how reliable the information is, while the iMessage features described above can already be found in published Apple patents. Previously the site said that group FaceTime calls will be introduced in iOS 11, but so far we've been unable to corroborate the claim.

Details of what's in store for iOS 11 have been scant in general, but it is expected to be released with new iPhones in the fall of 2017, while a preview of the new software could come at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2017 held in June.

Article Link: Questionable Rumor Claims Siri iCloud Integration and Contextual Learning Coming in iOS 11

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

I'm all for this as long as we don't end up with HAL 9000.

 

[icanhazapple]

I turned Siri off. Comically bad compared to Google's natural language processing engine.

Apple's obsession with privacy will never allow their offering to be good as Google's; you need collectively analyze all human speech to actually develop something that will understand all dialects, intonations, and nuances of a spoken language.

 

[Steve121178]

Anything to make it better and less primitive!

 

[moxxham]

I use Siri frequently and it understands me 90% of the time! Works incredibly well for me. Just like everyone else though, I do wish it was much, much smarter

 

[Bodycalming]

Yippee, it's about time we killed SIRI as we know it. Can it get worse?

 

[rudychidiac]

Bring offline Siri for basic commands...

 

[smc333]

This seems like a good next step for AI. As always, Apple isn't promising the sky and underdelivering, but instead putting out a refined product when the technology is ready. This will be a solid improvement.

 

[Andregant]

I really hope this rumor is true

 

[44267547]

In any case, I think this is a good sign that Siri is somehow being revamped and integrated more into the iPhone, which hopefully these changes are going to be coming relatively soon with iOS 11. I think it's time for Siri to have a significant update.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Apple's obsession with privacy will never allow their offering to be good as Google's

Can't disagree more with this. AI and speech recognition is in the very, very, very early stages. The war hasn't been won yet; it hasn't even begun. AI today is what the original Macintosh was to raw hardware performance.

Apple's staunch stance on privacy means they'll be going the longer and more difficult route, which I maintain will be the better approach in the long term. This is because the core recognition will evolve to recognise any speech and any language without having to reference lots of other data already collected.

Think Star Trek Next Gen/Voyager and see how crew or new visitors interact with the computer using speech; that's what I'm envisioning could still be possible with a commited AI team, whilst still maintaining an obsession for privacy. That's far from an impossible idea.

Yes, Siri does need a lot of improvement; nobody's denying that. But so do the others. With the leaps and bounds that technology makes every year, it's much too early to simply say that the only way forward in AI and speech/context recognition is data mining.

 

[FatMax]

For the love of all that is holy, make her proactive!!

 

[bomberal123]

I just hope its comprehension improves, because all it's useful for at the moment is comedy value.

 

[cjbryce]

Apple's obsession with privacy will never allow their offering to be good as Google's; you need collectively analyze all human speech to actually develop something that will understand all dialects, intonations, and nuances of a spoken language.

I'm not sure how Apple's privacy policies prevent them from analysing "all human speech"? Could you explain/expand on that?

 

[kissmo]

Apple is upgrading some lonely guys' only partner....

 

[Jsameds]

I turned Siri off. Comically bad compared to Google's natural language processing engine.

Apple's obsession with privacy will never allow their offering to be good as Google's; you need collectively analyze all human speech to actually develop something that will understand all dialects, intonations, and nuances of a spoken language.

I'll take privacy any day of the week.

 

[borgqueenx]

I really hope they can make siri smarter soon. I really dislike how many times siri just doesn't get what im saying.

 

[Abazigal]

I turned Siri off. Comically bad compared to Google's natural language processing engine.

Apple's obsession with privacy will never allow their offering to be good as Google's; you need collectively analyze all human speech to actually develop something that will understand all dialects, intonations, and nuances of a spoken language.

And maybe it doesn't need to be. Apple maps isn't anywhere as good as google maps, but it's still good enough for my needs and I have no issues using Apple maps as my default mapping service of choice.

I don't know if Apple's emphasis on privacy is because they believe so passionately in it or if it is simply an excuse to gloss over the fact that Siri will never be as good as google now even if Apple didn't care about privacy, but if Apple can make this work, I feel it is a compromise I am willing to make.

 

[christarp]

I can't be the only one that gets giggly hearing an unverified rumor from the "The Verifier".

 

[triton100]

I'm all for this as long as we don't end up with HAL 9000.

That my friend will be an inevitability. But I'm pretty sure you won't have to worry about that appearing in os11 quite yet.
[doublepost=1490700782][/doublepost]

And maybe it doesn't need to be. Apple maps isn't anywhere as good as google maps, but it's still good enough for my needs and I have no issues using Apple maps as my default mapping service of choice.

I don't know if Apple's emphasis on privacy is because they believe so passionately in it or if it is simply an excuse to gloss over the fact that Siri will never be as good as google now even if Apple didn't care about privacy, but if Apple can make this work, I feel it is a compromise I am willing to make.

The amount of times Apple maps has taken me to a location at least 5 minutes away from where it should be. Have always tried to use Apple as I prefer Apple all round though maps has a low hit rate of getting it right for me. I'm sure with major locations it's fine but with residential places it's hit and miss.

 

[EvilEvil]

Got to catch up to Alexa and Google Home somehow.

 

[ChristianVirtual]

First Siri need to learn to understand me ... or I need a biological upgrade for myself. She just never understand me and I close: ok Siri, bye

 

[icanhazapple]

Can't disagree more with this. AI and speech recognition is in the very, very, very early stages. The war hasn't been won yet; it hasn't even begun. AI today is what the original Macintosh was to raw hardware performance.

Apple's staunch stance on privacy means they'll be going the longer and more difficult route, which I maintain will be the better approach in the long term. This is because the core recognition will evolve to recognise any speech and any language without having to reference lots of other data already collected.

Think Star Trek Next Gen/Voyager and see how crew or new visitors interact with the computer using speech; that's what I'm envisioning could still be possible with a commited AI team, whilst still maintaining an obsession for privacy. That's far from an impossible idea.

Yes, Siri does need a lot of improvement; nobody's denying that. But so do the others. With the leaps and bounds that technology makes every year, it's much too early to simply say that the only way forward in AI and speech/context recognition is data mining.

it's been what, five years now? Thanks, but I'll keep using Google. You can continue to wait for plausibly accurate dictation engine from Apple.

 

[orbital~debris]

Intrigued by the mention of a 'smart clock' [feature]. Wondering if this may actually be a new product rather than a feature…

Could imagine Apple expanding upon what they've learned & developed for Apple Watch, and introducing a home smart clock device that's actually much more than just a clock (in the way Apple Watch is more than just a watch), which could also be one and the same with their rumoured 'home speaker' device, except with a screen for Siri to display information on.

 

[Bacillus]

Stop development
All we need is an Alexa delegator
Siri => Alexa => Siri