Apple expects the potential of Siri AI to be realized on the new HomeView smart display, as the conversational element comes into its own when used in a communal context.
In an interview with The Verge, Kaiann Drance, VP of Product Marketing for Home, believes that Siri AI will provide the intangible “magic” for HomeView – Apple’s first smart display.
Explaining why Apple waited before entering the product category, she said: “With the magic of Siri AI, it comes together in a way that we haven’t been able to deliver before.”
Lilian Rincon, Apple’s vice president of product marketing for AI, added: “It’s great because you can just ask it to change the temperature on your thermostat in a very natural way. As Siri’s AI capabilities continue to evolve, the home experience is suited to interacting with them in this natural way.”
Rincon went on to say that the ability for AI to converse in natural language could be the tipping point for AI in its battle for mainstream acceptance, adding: “Because now it can be… my mother-in-law or Gen Z who is in college, both of them can use this so they can speak naturally and get what they want.
The point about multiple users is interesting. HomeView uses a combination of voice and facial recognition to identify up to six members of the household and will also use priority logic when multiple people are nearby. The user’s voice customizations are carried over from their iPhone and iPad, as well as the personalized context of messages, calendars, photos and more. So it’s entirely possible that we’ll see Siri AI become much more useful than when it’s used by a single person.
