Apple opens Siri AI to every app, and lets developers teach it skills (madrobot.blog)

Apple has opened Siri AI to all developers with the release of the iOS 27.3 beta, allowing any app to integrate its content and actions into the revamped assistant. This shift enables developers to expose their app functionalities using App Intents, effectively breaking the previous limitations that restricted Siri's capabilities to specific categories like messaging or to-do lists. Furthermore, Apple has introduced the concept of "skills," which allow Siri to seamlessly combine multiple actions into one request, enhancing the user experience. For example, a shopping app can streamline processes from searching to ordering, all through natural language commands. This significant update marks a pivotal moment for the AI/ML community as it expands Siri's utility across a broader app ecosystem, making it a more powerful assistant. Developers can create skills through a simple Markdown format, providing flexibility and guidance without enforcing strict scripts, allowing for dynamic interactions. The move not only aligns Siri with industry standards set by competitors but also positions it as a central hub for controlling device interactions in a user-friendly manner. While these features are in the developer preview phase, they signal Apple's commitment to evolving Siri into a more capable and versatile digital assistant.