Kids ask questions all the time , and I opine it ’s significant as a parent to admit when you do n’t have intercourse the answer . by nature , it ’s tempting to bluff , to maintain their simple belief in your omniscience , but you ’re only stack away up trouble for that moment when they gain access to Google and happen out for themselves that the president of Cuba is not , in fact , Fray Bentos .
Not everyone , however , feels the same way about admit ignorance . Take Siri , for representative , which loves to take a swing at tasks when it is n’t even certain what you just articulate . Ask your HomePod to trifle a Song dynasty in a slimly muffled vocalisation and instead of say , “ I did n’t overhear that , would you heed repeating yourself ? ” it just plows in advance and plays something random .
I ’ve beencomplaining about Sirifor a few years now and as far as I can see nothing has amend in that time . The arrival of Apple Intelligence is supposed to bring a unexampled and improved version of Siri , but of course that does n’t apply to the HomePod ; and even on devices like the iPhone whichdohave Apple Intelligence there does n’t seem to be more accuracy , just a bully degree of mislaid confidence about the inaccuracy .
Last week the blogger One Foot Tsunami make up one’s mind to ask Siri , in monastic order , who come through each Super Bowl – a apparently straightforward task – and received a set of solvent that were hilarious andhorrifyingly inaccurate . It got just 34 pct right , and at least one of those was good for the incorrect reason . ( take about Super Bowl X , it talked at length about Super Bowl IX … which befall to have the same winner . ) At one point it got the answer awry 15 times in a rowing , and it leave the Philadelphia Eagles 33 wins rather than the one they really amass .
I do n’t think it ’s specially important for phonation assistants or the AI models beneath them to be capable to answer question about sports trivia , but there ’s a rule at stake here that is important : they need to accept when they do n’t know the correct answer . In this casing , there was no hurt done because the matter at hand was , well , trivial . But if someone expect about , say , thelug nut torque for a 2015 Nissan Frontier , being confidently given a completely incorrect solution could have detrimental consequences .
To allow you do n’t know the reply , sadly , you first have to know that you do n’t know the reply , and this is AI ’s heavy weakness . AI does n’t “ experience ” anything in any kind of sense we ’d sympathize . It matches patterns without understanding what they mean , which means it does n’t have any direction of sanity - moderate a fact that a human would at once see as falderol . But at the same clock time , it would be decent if AI developers put more view into canvas and signaling to the user a model ’s level of confidence in a specific yield : a evaluation of the measure and quality of training information on that topic , for lesson , or the proportionality of similar enquiry which have received positive feedback .
At the moment AI is in its hype cycle , and all the players are jockey for position in the public eye . justly now , the main matter they ’re aiming for is PR , and it make good sense in that circumstance that they would require to make exaggerated claims for their products ’ capabilities , and dislike the thought of bespeak their limitations . But Apple of all people should realise that reputations are built up easy and lost very quickly . It ’s better to be honestly illiterate than confidently incorrect . And the phrase I most want to hear from Siri is “ I ’m distressing , Dave . I ’m afraid I ca n’t do that . ”
metalworks
Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column , which includes all the Apple news you miss last calendar week in a handy bite - sized roundup . We call it Apple Breakfast because we recollect it go great with a Monday good morning cupful of coffee or tea , but it ’s coolheaded if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner party hours too .
IfApple Intelligenceis so great , why does n’t Apple confidence usto deform it on ?
Mahmoud Itanireminds us allabout6 forgotten Apple productsgetting an update this class .
Team upwith Appleat your own risk .
It ’s Samsung ’s routine tocopy Apple ! Here areover a 12 waysSamsungripped off Appleat the Galaxy S25 launching .
Apple’swild new Miami storetakes carbon neutral tonew heights .
U.K. iPhone users willsoon be able to storedigital licenses and ID .
Podcast of the week
The rumour are heating up for Apple ’s next major iPhone release . In the latest instalment of the Macworld Podcast , we cover what ’s move on with theiPhone SEand what we could see in the next few week .
you’re able to get every episode of the Macworld Podcast onSpotify , Soundcloud , thePodcasts app , orour own web site .
Reviews corner
The rumor mill
iPhone 17 Air leakshows offnew ‘ photographic camera stripe ’ intent .
newfangled leakchanges everything we know about theiPhone SE 4 .
Software updates, bugs, and problems
Hate the newfangled Mail appon your iPhone ? Here’show to change it back .
Starting this week , you ’ll need toturn off Apple Intelligenceif youdon’t want it .
Mac user will finally get thesmarter Mail appinmacOS 15.4 .
AirPods Pro 2 update‘in arrive weeks ’ to expandhearing aid feature film .
