Apple Secretly Testing Siri 2.0, a ChatGPT-Style Upgrade

New Apple is secretly testing a ChatGPT-style  iPhone app, Veritas, ahead of a major Siri upgrade expected next year, according to a report in Bloomberg. The Veritas-powered Siri 2.0 will have more features than its previous version.

Veritas means truth in Latin and it is being internally used by Apple’s AI division. It is being utilized to help employees evaluate new Siri features more efficiently, including searching personal data like songs and emails, or performing in-app actions like editing photos. As of now, the app will not be released publicly, the report said.

The app resembles other popular AI chatbots, enabling multiple conversations across different topics, referencing past chats, and aiding extended back-and-firth exchanges. The report said that the app is being used to test a new underlying system, Linwood, which combines Apple’s in-house large language models with a third-party model.

The launch of new Siri faced several setbacks. Initially, the release was scheduled during last spring but it was pushed back after engineering problems caused features to fail up to a third time. Bloomberg reported that the upgraded Siri is now expected to be launched in March next year.

Apple also expects that the revamped assistant will handle tasks current versions cannot, such as acting on what’s displayed on a user’s screen and enabling smoother device navigation. Bloomberg reported that the Veritas app marks a significant step in shaping the AI endeavor of the company.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has told the employees that the company must “win in AI” and termed it the biggest transformation in decades. Further, Apple had previously held talks with OpenAI and Anthropic. Now, the company is in discussion with Google about using a custom version of its Gemini platform to help power the new Siri.