Siri and Alexa defeated by Chat GPT in the AI race

Voice recognition assistants powered by artificial intelligence (AI) such as Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant, which led the AI market for over a decade, have become obsolete due to AI chatbot services including ChatGPT, according to the New York Times (NYT) on Wednesday.

Siri, which Apple unveiled in 2011 on its fifth-generation iPhone, hasn’t made any significant technological advances since then, the NYT said. “Siri ran into technological hurdles, including clunky code that took weeks to update with basic features,” said John Burkey, a former Apple engineer. It means that seemingly simple updates, such as adding some new phrases to the data set, could take up to six weeks, and adding more complex features like new search tools could take nearly a year.

This has limited the use of virtual assistants to non-monetizable applications such as weather checkers or alarms. Meanwhile, generative AI services including the globally-recognized Chat GPT, can also handle tasks like coding software and writing novels. Microsoft (MS) CEO Satya Nadella recently told the Financial Times, "Voice assistants are dumb as a rock.”

However, experts believe that combining generative AI and voice recognition technology could lead to voice-controlled technology.


chaewani@donga.com