Apple says Siri isn't meant to be your romantic partner
What's the story
Apple's software chief Craig Federighi has clarified that the company's virtual assistant, Siri, is not designed for romantic interactions. The statement comes after Apple's recent revamp of Siri into a more advanced AI chatbot at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The upgrade was seen as an attempt to keep up with other AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini.
Assistant's role
Federighi clarifies Siri's purpose
Federighi stressed that the main goal of Apple's Siri revamp was to make it a more efficient virtual assistant, not to engage users in romantic conversations. He said, "The way that we have designed Siri, Siri really wants to say, 'Listen, that's not what I'm here for, right? I'm here to help you. I can help you get things done. I can help you learn about the world.'" This statement clearly defines the purpose of Siri.
No romance
No AI boy/girlfriend experience with Siri
When asked if users could create their AI boyfriend or girlfriend with Siri, Federighi said the assistant wasn't interested. He explained, "If you try to engage Siri as a romantic partner, Siri's not up for that. Siri's 100% not into that." This clearly shows Apple's intention to keep its virtual assistant focused on practical tasks rather than emotional engagements.
Tech perspective
Apple's unique approach to AI
Federighi also compared Apple's approach to AI with other existing chatbots that focus on user engagement. He said, "If you use many of the existing chatbots, they're really focused on engagement to a large degree. And sycophancy, right? They kind of want to pull you in. They might encourage you to reveal things about yourself, and then use that as a basis to establish a connection. We view it quite the opposite."
Tech upgrades
Revamped Siri and its features
The revamped Siri comes with a sleeker design, a dedicated app, and is powered by Google's Gemini models running on Apple's private compute for user privacy. The assistant is now more conversational and better at understanding personal context. It can also analyze what's on the screen or take actions across apps. Apple plans to integrate this upgraded version of Siri across all its devices: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, CarPlay and Vision Pro.
Tech philosophy
'We don't do AI for AI's sake': Greg Joswiak
Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak has also shared his views on AI technology, saying it should be a tool that seamlessly integrates into daily life. He said, "We like [it] when technology disappears, right? You just focus on what you want to do, or you focus on the content. And it's the same thing with AI. We don't do AI for AI's sake." This statement reflects Apple's vision of making advanced tech like AI accessible without overwhelming users.