iOS 18 could be the update that finally makes Siri worth using

Apple is looking at improving its Siri assistant by merging it with its recent AI efforts, and we could be using it by next year.

According to The Information, the company has been looking at a different AI language model to ChatGPT, called Ajax GPT. This is reportedly years ahead of OpenAI’s efforts and could supercharge Apple’s assistant in ways it’s desperately needed for years.

Both Google and Microsoft have been implementing AI as a helper – with Windows 11 having a ‘Copilot’ assistant powered by ChatGPT. And Google has its ‘Bard’ assistant, currently integrated into its search engine, Docs, and Photos services.

However, there are questions about how an iPhone could store Ajax or handle a query without an internet connection. But at this point for Siri, perhaps drastic measures need to be taken.

Come a little bit closer, Siri — iMore’s Take

Using Siri in 2023 is just an afterthought for me. I’ll use it as a last resort when I can’t reach my phone, and I quickly need to call my wife, for instance. Or I’ll ask Siri to play me the best of the Beatles, and depending on how it feels that day, it may play tracks from Apple Music or Spotify.

I use ChatGPT on my iPhone more, both through its app and through the Shortcut that replaces Siri effortlessly on your iPhone. It’s fun to use as a tool, especially when I ask it to think up recipes for me, as I explained in a recent iMore Show episode.

But waiting for Apple to make a move into a new space is quintessentially Apple. It will decide when the time is right, not when everyone else is attempting the same thing.

So, waiting another year to see how Apple implements AI in iOS 18 is unsurprising. But when you consider how useless Siri has been for years now, any improvement feels long overdue.