At the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024, Apple announced a significant upgrade to Siri, powered by its new Apple Intelligence platform. Originally introduced in 2011 as "an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking," Siri is now set to enter what Apple calls "a new era."

In its iOS 18 preview, Apple highlighted numerous enhancements to Siri, promising more than just superficial updates. One notable change is the interface; Siri will now glow around the edges of the screen instead of appearing as a hovering circle. More importantly, the assistant is expected to handle tasks with greater ease and accuracy. Users can now ask Siri to play a song a friend sent without manually searching through messages or request flight information for a family member with just a question. Siri can even retrieve your driver's license number from a photo.

The integration of Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT aims to address many of Siri's longstanding issues. Despite its initial promise, Siri has faced widespread criticism for its limited functionality and reliability. Reddit threads are filled with user frustrations over its shortcomings. While the assistant has become somewhat smarter over the years, many users still find it most useful for simple tasks like music playback, weather checks, and controlling smart home devices.

The inclusion of ChatGPT is expected to significantly enhance Siri's capabilities, leveraging one of the most advanced consumer AI systems available. However, questions remain about how Siri will interact with ChatGPT and whether it will avoid the "hallucinations" that have plagued early AI models, such as providing inaccurate or nonsensical responses.

Skepticism persists among long-time Siri users. While the demo at WWDC showcased promising features, past experiences caution against immediate excitement. Many users recall previous updates that fell short of expectations.

As Apple rolls out these updates, the tech community will be watching closely to see if Siri finally lives up to its potential. More details and insights from WWDC 2024 will be shared in the coming days.