Siri and her AI Offspring:

The Next Generation of Conversational Agents

The Evolution of AI: From Virtual Assistants to AI-Powered Conversational Agents

This Open Educational Resource (OER) focuses on the educational uses of the next generation of conversational AI agents designed to engage in highly realistic human-like conversations through natural language processing.

As AI rapidly advances, we have witnessed a significant shift in how we interact with technology. From the early days of virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to the rise of chat-enabled AI like Chat GPT and Pi, the evolution of AI has brought us to a point where conversational AI has become very sophisticated and realistic.

Virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa paved the way for hands-free assistance and simplified the execution of basic tasks and commands through our phones and devices. However, their capabilities were limited in conversational ability and understanding complex queries - much to users' frustration.

The recent introduction of voice-enabled conversational AI marked a turning point in this landscape, offering users a more natural and engaging way to interact with technology. These AIs have an edge over their predecessors with their ability to handle context-based conversations, understand complex queries, and provide personalized responses.

While conversational AIs have opened up new avenues for users, they cannot currently control devices effectively, and executing simple tasks may take longer than voice assistants. (June 10, 2024: see below on Apple Intelligence for an update.)

This OER explores the most relevant ways to access conversational agents and associated text-based chatbot technologies for educational use. As the distinctions between these technologies become increasingly blurred, this OER aims to equip educators with a foundational understanding and best practices. This means understanding the tech's capabilities and limitations, how to implement it in educational settings, and strategies for maximizing its benefits while curbing challenges.

Glossary of Preferred Terms in this OER

Artificial Intelligence (AI):

Technology enables machines to mimic human intelligence.

Chatbots:

Older technology using pre-defined rules and simple algorithms to simulate conversation, often limited to text-based interactions.

Chat-enabled AI:

Text-based AI systems like ChatGPT and Copilot facilitate conversation and assist users through text input

Conversational Agents:

AI-powered systems like ChatGPT 4.0 Voice and Pi, using LLMs and NLP for voice interactions.

Large Language Models (LLMs):

Advanced AI systems capable of understanding and generating human-like text.

Multimodality:

The capability of AI systems to process and generate responses using multiple forms of data, such as text, voice, and visual inputs.

Natural Language Processing (NLP):

A field of AI focused on the interaction between computers and humans through natural language.

Virtual Assistants:

AI systems like Siri, Alexa, and Google Home are designed to assist users with tasks through voice commands.

Apple Intelligence - The New and Improved Siri

As of June 10, 2024, Apple announced a groundbreaking evolution for Siri, transforming it into a hybrid of ChatGPT and advanced natural language processing (NLP). Called Apple Intelligence, this development is set to redefine the market and create a new category of AI-powered chat assistants.

However, some experts believe that Apple's integration of AI is a restrained vision of what's possible in the future. Still, it will effectively answer questions and act on private data.

"What we are seeing from Apple is a clear and practical vision of how AI can help most users, without a lot of effort, today. In doing so, they are hiding much of the power, and quirks, of LLMs from their users" (Mollick, 2024, para. 15).

References

Charlton, H. (2024, June 10). Siri Can Access ChatGPT Directly With iOS 18. MacRumors. https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/10/siri-can-access-chatgpt-with-ios-18/

Mollick, E. (2024, June 11). What Apple’s AI Tells Us: Experimental Models4. One Useful Thing. https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/what-apples-ai-tells-us-experimental

History of Chatbots, Virtual Assistants and Chat-Enabled AI - Gallery

This timeline identifies key innovations in the history of chatbots.

A breakthrough emerged around 2020, marking a pivotal moment in human-computer interaction. This milestone in the history of chatbots and AI-powered conversational assistants occurred with the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) in natural language processing (NLP). LLMs, like GPT-3 and subsequent models, fundamentally enhanced these products by vastly improving their ability to understand and generate human-like text and speech.

This advancement brought in a new era where interactions with AI became more intuitive and responsive, expanding the practical applications of AI conversations.

Click through the Gallery to learn more.

Reference:

Chatbot. (2024, June 15). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatbot

Exploring the Self-Awareness and Capabilities of AI Conversational Agents and Virtual Assistants

The following slideshow compares the powers, capabilities and limitations of a few classes of AI chatbot technology.

Click on the audio symbol to hear a comparison of the conversational abilities of Pi vs ChatGPT 4o vs Siri.

AI voice agents

Reflection Activity: Try starting a voice chat with a virtual assistant like Siri / Alexa or an AI agent like Pi / ChatGPT voice. Did anything frustrate you about the experience? Was there anything remarkable you noted? Post your thoughts in the Discussion Board.

Fun Fact: The Knowledge Navigator Predicted Siri in 1987!

In 1987, Apple released a concept video depicting a professor interacting with a virtual assistant called the Knowledge Navigator. This vision showcased a virtual assistant capable of understanding natural language, retrieving information, and aiding in research. It eerily predicted many features of the latest AI-powered Siri update announced for iOS 18.

So, will we finally have this version of Siri? With the new update, Siri is poised to come closer than ever to becoming the virtual assistant imagined over three decades ago, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of AI-powered assistants.

Authors

Joel Flanagan

Joel possesses over ten years of experience as an educator at a high school in New Brunswick. His areas of expertise encompass Business, Technology, and Computer Systems Administration.

Nicole Magne

Nicole has dedicated the past twenty years to working for First Nations education initiatives in Manitoba. Her background is in video and multimedia, IT project management, and strategic communications.

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