APRIL 2020 MACWORLD 41phones, Apple could do
the kinds of things with
Siri we want it to do
without compromising
our privacy.
That same engine
could be applied to
speech patterns. Siri
dictation isn’t bad at all,
but saying “period” and
“comma” gets tedious.
Edge AI could
recognize our vocal
patterns, so when we
pause a certain way it
adds a period, or if we
change our inflection it
adds a question mark.
Let’s go a step further. Say you’re
texting with a friend and they ask about
seeing a movie. That could trigger Siri to
quietly suggest upcoming showtimes inside
your conversation. Or if you copy a link in
Safari, a smart suggestion could instantly
present a series of apps before you even
press the share button. These are the kinds
of things Apple would never do in the
cloud—that whole what-happens-on-your-
iPhone-stays-on-your-iPhone thing (go.
macworld.com/wthp)—but by using Edge AI,
Apple could bring those kinds of
interactions to the iPhone itself, which
opens up Siri to a new world of capabilities.
And if it’s learning on the device, then it
could know what app we’re in and
respond accordingly. So if we’re in Photos,
we could say, “Share this with my wife”
and it wouldn’t need any extra clarification.
Or if we’re reading a news article in Safari,
we could say, “Tell me more about this,”
and it would make the appropriate search.
Or maybe an automatic routine could be
suggested based on our app habits.
Bottom line: there’s a lot that Siri
doesn’t quite know how to do, and Xnor.
ai’s Edge AI engine could help teach it. All
while keeping Apple’s privacy promise
intact. Unfortunately for Wyze cam owners,
Xnor’s Edge AI system has been yanked
(go.macworld.com/yank), but their loss
could be Siri’s gain. ■If Xnor.ai could transform a tiny $20 camera with Edge AI, imagine
what it could do for Siri and the iPhone.