In the space of one week, we have seen the transformation of our expectations for the new Siri. Instead of having to wait for Apple to catch up with OpenAI and Google, we now need only to wait for the company to tweak the existing Gemini models.
While that is indeed a dramatic turnaround, we still shouldn’t expect overnight miracles from the new Siri whenever it does now launch …
From vaporware to a product we can see
Last year, one of Apple’s most upbeat commenters, John Gruber, described the new Siri as “vaporware.”
Referring to Apple advertising Siri features which don’t yet exist, he noted:
“There were no demonstrations of any of that. Those features were all at level 0 on my [4-point] hierarchy. That level is called vaporware. They were features Apple said existed, which they claimed would be shipping in the next year, and which they portrayed, to great effect [but] was either unwilling or unable to demonstrate […] even with Apple product marketing reps performing the demos from a prepared script using prepared devices.”
Things shifted dramatically on Monday when Apple confirmed a report that it had partnered with Google to use the company’s Gemini models on its own servers. It’s generally considered that Google has at least caught up with OpenAI, and in many respects Gemini outperforms ChatGPT.
Just two days later, there was another big development. Google not only showed off its new Gemini Personal Intelligence features, but also launched them in beta form. That would put it at level three on Gruber’s scale: a beta product that people can try in the real world.
Gemini Personal Intelligence previews the new Siri
As we noted yesterday, this effectively provides a preview of exactly what we can expect from the new Siri.
Personal Intelligence can retrieve specific details from text, photos, or videos in your Google apps to customize Gemini responses. This includes Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, etc), Google Photos, your YouTube watch history, and of all of the various Google search services you’ve used (Search, Shopping, News, Maps, Google Flights, and Hotels).
The Apple version will of course pull information from Apple apps like Mail, Calendar, Photos, and Notes.
But we should still expect plenty of glitches
There’s little doubt that this will transform the Siri experience, and I’m extremely optimistic about what to expect in the medium to long term. However, even with Google’s help, we should still expect plenty of glitches when the new Siri first launches.
Here’s what Google says about Personal Intelligence:
We’ve tested this beta version of Personal Intelligence extensively to minimize mistakes, but we haven’t eliminated them. You may encounter inaccurate responses or “over-personalization,” where the model makes connections between unrelated topics. When you see this, please provide feedback by giving the response a “thumbs down.”
Gemini may also struggle with timing or nuance, particularly regarding relationship changes, like divorces, or your various interests.
In other words, we should expect a lot of the same problems with this as we’ve seen from AI chatbots more generally. They will make mistakes, base responses on inaccurate assumptions, and yes, they will still hallucinate. Google specifically cautions that we may need to correct hallucinations.
For instance, seeing hundreds of photos of you at a golf course might lead it to assume you love golf. But it misses the nuance: you don’t love golf, but you love your son, and that’s why you’re there. If Gemini gets this wrong, you can just tell it (“I don’t like golf”).
I still can’t wait
We can doubtless expect a number of embarrassments for Google and Apple alike as these beta services are released into the wild. They will represent a first step, not the final destination.
Even so, I still can’t wait to begin the journey. When Siri first launched way back in 2011, it seemed like science fiction. Today, it seems like a joke. We now seem, at long last, to be back on the science fiction track.
I wouldn’t like to guess how long it will be before I can truly treat Siri like a human personal assistant, giving it a set of instructions and trusting it to deliver. I very much doubt it will be this year or next. But I do think we will get there, and I’m very happy with this week’s news.
How optimistic do you now feel, in the light of the latest developments? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.
Photo by Ant Rozetsky on Unsplash
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