Apple continues to focus on the development of its artificial intelligence, moving away from the latest information that sparked possible interest among Californians in creating a Siri with a conscience. Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, has made it clear that Siri is not intended to become a conscious entity.
However, the senior Apple official does promise that Siri will improve significantly with the release of iOS 18.1 and the arrival of Apple Intelligence.
Apple says no to conscious AI
In an interview with Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal, Federighi answered questions about the evolution of Siri and the new features of Apple Intelligence. With growing curiosity about whether Apple will join the race to develop “conscious” AI as some of its competitors suggest, Federighi was clear: Siri will never be a conscious entity.
While companies like OpenAI, Microsoft and Google seem to aspire to create what is called Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), Apple has opted for a much more pragmatic and responsible approach. Federighi explained that Apple’s goal is not to create an AI that can “think” for itself, but rather a that is useful in daily life of users, respecting their privacy and security.
“You see how Siri helps users open the garage door or send a text message,” Federighi explained. “Our focus is on making technology useful in ways that really matter, not on aiming to turn it into some kind of conscious friend.”
Apple Intelligence is coming soon
With the launch of Apple Intelligence, Apple seeks to clearly differentiate itself from the competition. Instead of creating tools that create content from data, the company focuses on features that improve the user experience without compromising their privacy. For example, the “Clean Up” functionwhich will allow objects to be removed from an image without altering its essence, is one of the novelties that Apple has presented as part of this new wave of artificial intelligence.
Federighi highlighted that, unlike other companies that train their AIs by collecting massive amounts of data, Apple remains firm in its commitment to preserve privacy of its users. Its approach is based on on-device and cloud processing, a complex system that, although it requires more time and effort to develop, guarantees greater control and security over personal data.
One of the key points that Federighi highlighted is that the development of Apple Intelligence has been a “huge challenge,” and that Apple is not rushing to release features just to keep up with the competition. “We want to get it right,” he said, referring to the reason some features have been delayed longer than expected.
Apple prioritizes security and privacy in their approach to artificial intelligence, highlighting that they do not rush to launch new features, but instead seek to do it well. With the release of iOS 18.1 and Apple Intelligence, they begin a long-term plan to develop AI responsibly, ensuring useful tools that respect user data.
