Apple Intelligence update: How good did Siri really get?

Apple’s Siri gets an AI upgrade: Apple has released iOS 18.1, bringing significant improvements to Siri through the integration of Apple Intelligence, although the digital assistant still falls short of competing with advanced AI chatbots.

• The new Siri features a redesigned visual interface, appearing as a multi-colored neon glow around the screen edges instead of the previous pulsing ball.
• Users can now interact with Siri by pressing the lock button or using a new text-to-Siri option.

Key improvements in the new Siri: Apple Intelligence has enhanced Siri’s capabilities in several areas, making it more user-friendly and responsive.

• Siri can now better understand users even when they stumble over their words or change their minds mid-sentence.
• The assistant can handle follow-up questions without requiring users to repeat the context of the conversation.
• Apple-specific knowledge has been improved, with Siri providing concise summaries for device-related queries instead of just listing web links.
• The new Siri tends to prioritize silent responses, reducing unnecessary verbal introductions to on-screen answers.

Text-based interactions: The introduction of a text-to-Siri feature marks a significant shift towards non-verbal interactions with the digital assistant.

• Users can now double-tap the bottom of the screen to bring up a text bar for asking questions.
• This feature works consistently but doesn’t always provide comprehensive responses for complex queries.

Limitations and future developments: Despite the improvements, Siri still lags behind other AI chatbots in certain areas.

• The quality of Siri’s answers for general knowledge queries has not significantly improved and remains inferior to competitors like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Claude.
• Siri struggles with tasks such as generating essays or creating workout plans, which are standard capabilities for many AI chatbots.
• Apple plans to integrate Siri with ChatGPT in December, potentially expanding its capabilities to include image creation and document reading.
• Further enhancements, including “onscreen awareness” and the ability to take actions across apps, are expected in 2025.

Analyzing the upgrade: While Apple Intelligence brings noticeable improvements to Siri, the digital assistant’s evolution is still a work in progress.

• The upgrades focus on enhancing user experience through better context understanding and more efficient information delivery.
• However, Siri’s limitations in general knowledge and creative tasks highlight the need for further development to compete with leading AI chatbots.
• The planned integration with ChatGPT and future enhancements suggest that Apple is committed to bridging this gap and positioning Siri as a more capable AI assistant in the coming years.