Apple is reportedly working on allowing European users to switch their default voice assistant from Siri to a third-party option, as the company struggles to keep up with competitors in the AI race. The move comes after indefinite delays to AI-powered Siri upgrades originally planned for March 31.
Regulatory pressure and concerns about the future of the company have led Apple to tweak its iPhone operating system to give users more flexibility. This change would allow EU users to choose a different virtual assistant, such as Google’s Gemini, which is set to be added in iOS 19 as a ChatGPT alternative.
The delay has been attributed to struggles with Siri’s AI capabilities, with the current version unable to provide answers to complex questions like “How does CRISPR DNA editing work?” Apple’s executive Eddy Cue recently expressed concern that AI could have a similar impact on the company as the iPhone did on Nokia.
By giving users more flexibility, Apple may be able to mitigate the issue in the short term. However, it also represents an admission of the current state of affairs and may not address the underlying problem of Siri’s lagging AI capabilities.
Source: https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/apples-ai-crisis-could-mean-eu-users-will-have-the-option-to-swap-siri-for-another-default-voice-assistant