While Apple’s plans for Siri might be in jeopardy at the moment, the company is willing to utilise its AI models for something similar yet not so much in limelight as Siri. Based on internal reports, Apple is developing an advanced, AI-based “Support Assistant” to integrate into its existing Apple Support app. The idea is to revolutionise how customers troubleshoot issues and receive help.
The new tool, reported by macrumors.com, is designed to offer generative AI-powered solutions to user problems, serving as a preliminary step before individuals need to engage with a live Apple advisor. Think of it as an automated smart helpdesk that tries to reduce the need to engage with a human support agent.
Apple Support getting smarter before Siri?
Users will interact with the Support Assistant through a chat interface, similar to the current live chat option. This AI is set to leverage “generative models” to provide answers and guidance related to Apple’s vast array of products and services. Since its generative AI, the Support Assistant’s future capabilities might even allow users to upload content such as images, PDFs, or other documents to provide more context for their support requests. Multimodal capabilities could help the AI bot to study screenshots from users to diagnose problems better.
While the new Support Assistant promises quicker access to solutions for common problems and could potentially reduce wait times for live support, Apple acknowledges the inherent limitations of generative AI. The company cautions that such models can sometimes produce “incorrect, misleading, incomplete, offensive, or harmful outputs,” emphasising that the AI should not be seen as a substitute for professional advice. Users will always get the option to escalate their queries and consult directly with an Apple advisor if the AI solution doesn’t meet their needs.
The Support Assistant is expected to rely on OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot for powering the conversations and solutions.
