Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Archived Post

Apple wants Siri to be able to work off-line

Apple wants Siri to be able to work when you don’t have an online connection. The company has filed for a patent (number 20180330731) for an “offline personal assistant” for an offline mode that wouldn’t require on a backend server to assist with Siri’s functions.

In the patent filing, Apple says that, typically, a conventional automated digital assistant of an electronic device must rely on a backend (e.g., server-side) component to function, often due to computational limitations of the electronic device. As an example, speech-to-text functionality is often performed and/or validated by the backend component. As another example, the backend component is typically responsible for interpreting intent from a speech input and/or operationalizing the intent into a task. 

Apple finds that limiting. The tech giant wants Siri to be able to perform tasks such a speech-to-text processing, dialog processing, and more to happen on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch hardware.



Here’s Apple’s (somewhat technical) summary of the invention: “systems and processes for performing a task with a digital assistant are provided. In accordance with one example, a method includes, at an electronic device having one or more processors, receiving a natural-language input; determining, based on the natural-language input, a first task and first usefulness score associated with the first task; receiving, from another electronic device, a second task and second usefulness score associated with the second task; determining whether the first usefulness score is higher than the second usefulness score; in accordance with a determination that the first usefulness score is higher than the second usefulness score: performing the first task determined by the electronic device; and providing an output indicating whether the first task has been performed; and in accordance with a determination that the second usefulness score is higher than the first usefulness score: performing the second task received from the another electronic device; and providing an output indicating whether the second task has been performed.”

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.