The sci-fi future we dream of always seems just around the corner. From The Jetsons to Back To The Future to Minority Report, we’ve been sold a shiny world of flying cars, robot butlers and self-aware computers, but for better or worse we’re not there yet. On the AI front, though, we’re getting close. Very close.
Just this week we had another amazing new Sora demo from Open AI that has to be seen to be believed, plus the arrival of a voice synthesizer that’s not currently available to try because the company is worried that it’s too convincing. And we can expect much, much more in the near future – from Apple, among others. Among the articles I've picked out this week, you can read our Senior News Editor Mark Wilson’s thoughts on how the company could win with Siri AI.
What of robots? Well, again let’s look to Apple – which has supposedly been exploring a home robot as its next ambitious project, following the shelving of the Apple Car. This is not a new idea – Amazon, Google, and Sony have all tried robotics with varying degrees of success – but if Apple gets involved it'll be big news, simply because it’s Apple. But, says Editor at Large Lance Ulanoff, there’s no reason to think Apple will take us any closer to the sci-fi future – for now at least, AI looks like a much safer bet on that front.
Marc McLaren, Global Editor-in-Chief
The week in Apple
Siri could get some major improvements this year (Apple)
All the indications are that Siri will get a significant AI-heavy upgrade when iOS 18 arrives later this year – and TechRadar's Senior News Editor Mark Wilson thinks this might be the moment when Apple starts to catch up to Google and Microsoft in the AI race.
You no longer need to register for an account to take advantage of the smart responses offered by ChatGPT – and its developer OpenAI will be hoping it makes the AI bot as popular a destination as Google when it comes to getting information online.
Hidden code spotted in the beta version of Google Messages suggests that the satellite messaging feature expected to arrive with Android 15 could beat the iPhone version, by enabling you to text anyone over satellite, rather than only the emergency services.
You may not be familiar with the codename, but the Windows 11 24H2 update is expected to be a big one – and while it's still a few months off for consumers yet, it just passed through an important stage in being officially approved by Microsoft.
Wondering what to watch this weekend? The latest streaming arrivals include Ripley on Netflix – a new take on Patricia Highsmith’s murder mystery novel – while Sugar and Música begin streaming on Apple TV Plus and Prime Video, respectively.
