Apple has revealed new details about its plans to make Siri more conversational and capable of complex reasoning by using large language models. The company is also working on a ChatGPT rival model.
Apple is currently testing a wide range of models internally, with varying levels of complexity. Versions with 3 billion, 7 billion, 33 billion, and 150 billion parameters are in active use. Like ChatGPT, the 150 billion parameter model is cloud-based and, due to its size, much more powerful than Apple Intelligence, which runs on 3 billion devices.
Playground testing tool aims to get Siri closer to ChatGPT intelligence
With the help of its internal testing tool called “Playground,” Apple has conducted benchmark tests that show the model “approaches the quality of recent ChatGPT releases,” but there are still concerns about its tendency to hallucinate. “Philosophical differences” remain among company executives.
Workers at Apple’s AI offices in Zurich are working on an entirely new software architecture for Siri. This model is expected to replace Siri’s current “hybrid” architecture, which is inconsistently layered with different functions.
Apple is also internally testing a chatbot model called “Knowledge,” which can access the internet and gather and synthesize data from multiple sources. This would likely be another Siri capability, but the project is being led by Robby Walker, who was recently removed from Siri’s command. Employees familiar with the project say the chatbot project is also facing the same issues that have delayed Siri’s revamp.
It’s still unclear when Apple will implement these technologies. The company is not expected to provide a launch schedule at this month’s WWDC event due to the backlash it received over the still-unreleased Apple Intelligence features it announced at last year’s conference. Meanwhile, Google’s Gemini is expected to be added to Siri in iOS 26 as an alternative to ChatGPT AI. Apple is also reportedly in talks with Perplexity to add AI services as another option for both Siri and Safari search.
