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Comment by andy_ng | Hacker News Reader

Actually many people criticizw Apple's AI power, but they forget that the reason Siri is stupid because Apple want to (or at least they explicitly show) protect your privacy.

Iphone AI core is basically Edge AI, which means they deploy it inside the Iphone, not relying on a remote cloud. This can help protect customer data, but it also means they can not update their AI with new training data, and the Chip is kinda small so the model is not smart.

Just know this fact so ppl won't criticize Apple without knowing the sacrifice to protect their privacy

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Nah, a lot of Siri requests really on Apple servers to fulfill. Supposedly they have recently supported more requests types entirely on-device, but 2 years ago I lived in an apartment with an underground parking garage and I constantly has basic requests like creating timers and reminders fail due to spotty cell service.

Which iphone was it? One of the newer ones which are advertised "built for Apple Intelligence"? I'm pretty sure that's their selling point and they even have a separate chip for it, if it still needs to connect then that's pretty stupid.

Those phones weren’t sold 2 years ago.

Sooo what's the complaint? that edge AI didn't exist when it didn't exist?)

Not a complaint, just pointing that out.

I turn off the AI shit on most devices I use. Microsoft and Apple are topping my list of most hated for shovelling AI drivel my way.

> Iphone AI core is basically Edge AI, which means they deploy it inside the Iphone, not relying on a remote cloud

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iphe3f499e0e/io...:

“For more complex requests that require more computational capacity, Apple Intelligence can use Private Cloud Compute, which extends the privacy and security of your Apple products like iPhone into the cloud to unlock even more intelligence. Private Cloud Compute uses larger, server-based models powered by Apple silicon.“

but it's core is still edge AI, which can not compare to other AI models with larger parameters that can be called via API, right?

Siri is dumb for an edge model though. It’s like ~2 years behind. It’s just bad and shouldn’t be excused, everything about it is bad.

Only ~2 years behind is generous, I think. It's unbelievably bad even when compared to Google Assistant circa 2018

I think the bigger issue is that even the "cloud" stuff seems pretty stupid. Meanwhile while I wouldn't really trust any of these companies very much in actuality, it's not like nobody else is doing "edge" AI: Google is basically treating Gemma models like A1 steak sauce and pouring them on everything. (And although I don't know that any of those use cases really are particularly interesting, Gemma itself can be pretty impressive IMO.)

don't know why this comment is downvoted by so many :)

Apple doesn´t have a good reputation regarding privacy. I have to agree though that they fight for it. It is strange that siri is obsolete, comparing company evaluation, and compared to other tech giants. Also facts show a real battle, harder than other companies. My best thoughts to TIM COOK.

yeah men, I am not a fan of Apple too, just don't agree if ppl critize them thoughtlessly

This legit sounds like a bot reply

How does a human reply? Maybe I am turning into a bot with all this AI around me :)

Are you evaluating in a vacuum against some ideal company/community efforts or against their commercial competitor Google when you say that they don’t have a reputation for privacy?

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