Apple Formally Announced as 'Partnership on AI' Founding Member - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Formally Announced as 'Partnership on AI' Founding Member

by

Apple has formally joined the Partnership on AI as a founding member, confirming an earlier report, the organization announced today.

Apple has joined the Partnership on AI as a founding member. The company has been involved and collaborating with the Partnership since before it was first announced and is thrilled to formalize its membership alongside Amazon, Facebook, Google/DeepMind, IBM, and Microsoft.

Siri co-founder Tom Gruber, who heads advanced development of the assistant at Apple, will serve on the Partnership's inaugural Board of Trustees.

iOS-9-Siri
The Partnership on AI is a non-profit research consortium established in September to "study and formulate best practices, to advance the public's understanding of AI, and to serve as an open platform for discussion and engagement about AI and its influences on people and society," according to its website.

Apple has always been notoriously secretive, but it recently started allowing its AI and machine learning researchers to publish papers. The company's contributions to the broader artificial intelligence research community could help it attract top talent that would not otherwise want to join the tech giant.

Apple has been recruiting talent and acquired several AI-related companies in recent months, including Turi, VocalIQ, Perceptio, and Emotient, to build out its in-house AI team led by Carnegie Mellon professor Russ Salakhutdinov.

Apple is rumored to be working on "enhanced" Siri capabilities for next-generation iPhones to keep up with competitors such as Amazon's Alexa.

Tag: Artificial Intelligence

Top Rated Comments

4
44267547
125 months ago
I don't debate that Siri is a little behind Google in this category. What I don't like is how people portray it as if Siri is a decade behind and can do nothing Google can. The two can still almost do the exact same stuff. Google is much more like a real conversation and can break down what you are wanting it to do a little better. Reading complains on here you would think Google Voice can go make you a sandwich if you ask it, all while Siri can't even set an alarm for you.
Agreed. I still use Siri regularly for many tasks. The only issue I have with Siri at the moment, is dictation. A lot of times I'll say A word and she can't decipher what I'm saying, even if I slow down and pronounce it properly. Then I tried Google voice, and it's almost immediate and the results are instant.

The Primary focus I think for Siri to improve is deciphering, dictation and speed of displaying the results.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R
rajat8676
125 months ago
I knew it! Siri will take over the world. Someone from future will come anytime now to destroy Siri :D
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chr1s60 Avatar
chr1s60
125 months ago
I think the bigger changes for Siri are coming. I do agree there's quite a few complaints that I have read, but complaints that really seem to be valid about Siri. I think a lot of users have faith in Siri, they just want to see the necessary changes with deciphering and dictation.

The only competitor that I can think of is Google voice at the moment. Mainly it's ability to easily decipher what you're saying and the speed of the results that you're looking to search for. I've been fairly impressed with it. Even though I use Siri as my primary.
I don't debate that Siri is a little behind Google in this category. What I don't like is how people portray it as if Siri is a decade behind and can do nothing Google can. The two can still almost do the exact same stuff. Google is much more like a real conversation and can break down what you are wanting it to do a little better. Reading complains on here you would think Google Voice can go make you a sandwich if you ask it, all while Siri can't even set an alarm for you.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thisisnotmyname Avatar
thisisnotmyname
125 months ago
how can you be a founding member when you join six months after the org exists?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chr1s60 Avatar
chr1s60
125 months ago
I just hope this can help lead to a better Siri in one way or another. I'm sick of seeing people complaining about how far behind Siri is despite many of the competitors not being a whole lot better.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iPhone Handoff Feature

iOS 27 Introduces New 'iPhone Handoff' Feature

Wednesday September 2, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device. This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time. ...
Read Full Article • 117 comments
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium

New Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 Features Revealed

Sunday August 30, 2026 7:54 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today further outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 set to be unveiled on September 9. While it was initially rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch this year, Gurman reiterated that he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models. ...
Read Full Article • 152 comments
John Ternus and Rainbow Countour Apple Logo

Apple Just Made a Very Controversial Decision on New CEO's First Day

Wednesday September 2, 2026 6:31 am PDT by
Apple's former hardware engineering chief John Ternus became its CEO on Tuesday, and the company made a controversial decision on his very first day in charge. As of Tuesday, Apple Maps users in the U.S. see the name "Lake America" instead of Lake Ontario for the Great Lake that straddles the New York—Ontario border. Apple made this change after the U.S. Geographic Names Information...
Read Full Article