Apple is one of the companies that, so far, was far from the new ‘gold rush’ in the tech world: generative AI. In the face of trends driven by OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, meta and other companies in the field, those from Cupertino have started to design a “very Apple” alternative to compete against this new tool, and it seems that they are already ahead of the curve. This is ‘Bobcat’.
According to The New York Times, Apple held its annual AI summit internally to employees from different areas, emphasizing large-scale language modeling and other AI tools. According to the report, engineers from the team behind the Siri assistant have been testing generative language concepts every week.
Now, 9to5Mac has noted that there are hints of generative AI tools in the tvOS 16.4 beta, and ‘Bobcat’ is referenced as a codename for a limited feature set that could be replicated on other branded devices.
Within these findings, data on a new framework for “Siri Natural Language Generation” was obtained in this same beta of Apple’s TV Boxes software. The portal notes that this does not necessarily mean a generative AI that mimics the features of ChatGPT; however, it could be a new way to improve the current conditions of Siri, a virtual assistant that has lost steam to Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s assistant.
In addition, 9to5Mac claims that this development has been found in codes associated with iPhone, iPad, Mac and the HomePod, in addition to the tv box. Unlike the latter, this SiriGPT? is not enabled to add features.
Apple prepares GPT technology
This could point to several things. For starters, developing a more authentic conversational model for better interaction between the user and Siri, which would serve as a bridge for natural interaction between Apple devices via voice. A ‘more human’ conversational assistant could be a strong leverage for iOS 17, the next version of the company’s mobile OS.
The strategy is interesting, as Apple would not be looking to compete with the other companies under the same mode, which apply this advancement in search engines and developers of real-time content and experiences. In this case, Apple seeks to focus on enhancing a product that, by its origin, needs to regain the interest of its users for daily functions that can link their data to environments and devices of the firm.
