Apple wants to be an AI leader again

With today's unveilling of iOS 12 at WWDC, Apple hinted at an upgraded Siri worthy of 2018. The news: On opening day of its annual developer conference, Apple announced plans to make its AI-powered digital assistant Siri more robust in iOS 12 with a new property called "shortcuts." Users will be able to create voice commands that let Siri help more effectively with day-to-day tasks, from ordering coffee to finding lost keys. Catching up on AI: The launch of Siri in 2011 was a breakout moment for voice-activated smart assistants, but competitors like Google's Assistant and Amazon's Alexa have since caught up, if not surpassed, Apple's technology. The news in April that the firm poached Google's AI chief confirmed that it was doubling down to get back on pace.