Artificial Intelligence
Article

How Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant Lost the A.I. Race

by
The New York Times
March 30, 2023
Download PDF

Summary

The age of traditional virtual assistants is fading as generative AI is poised to take over the market. Microsoft is uniquely positioned with Open AI’s Chat GPT technology in comparison to fellow tech giants Google, Apple and Amazon.

On a rainy Tuesday in San Francisco, Apple executives took the stage in a crowded auditorium to unveil the fifth-generation iPhone. The phone, which looked identical to the previous version, had a new feature that the audience was soon buzzing about: Siri, a virtual assistant.

Scott Forstall, then Apple’s head of software, pushed an iPhone button to summon Siri and prodded it with questions. At his request, Siri checked the time in Paris (“8:16 p.m.,” Siri replied), defined the word “mitosis” (“Cell division in which the nucleus divides into nuclei containing the same number of chromosomes,” it said) and pulled up a list of 14 highly rated Greek restaurants, five of them in Palo Alto, Calif.

“I’ve been in the A.I. field for a long time, and this still blows me away,” Mr. Forstall said.

That was 12 years ago.

Read more here.

The New York Times
The New York Times

Our mission is simple: We seek the truth and help people understand the world. This mission is rooted in our belief that great journalism has the power to make each reader’s life richer and more fulfilling, and all of society stronger and more just. At The Times, our mission and values guide the work we do every day. By acting in their spirit, we serve readers and society, ensure the continued strength of our journalism and business, and foster a healthy and vibrant Times culture.

Related
Become a Member