Apple’s ‘AI crisis’ could mean EU users will have the option to swap Siri for another default voice assistant
Apple 的“AI 危机”可能意味着欧盟用户将可以选择将 Siri 换成另一个默认语音助手
"In response to EU regulatory pressure" Apple could be working to let users in Europe switch to third-party voice assistants over Siri
“为了应对欧盟的监管压力”，苹果可能正在努力让欧洲用户通过 Siri 切换到第三方语音助手
The move comes amid indefinite delays to AI-powered Siri upgrades originally planned for March 31
此举是在原计划于 3 月 31 日无限期推迟 AI 驱动的 Siri 升级之际
Executives are showing concern for the future of the company, as Apple falls behind competitors in the AI race
高管们对公司的未来表示担忧，因为苹果在 AI 竞赛中落后于竞争对手
Apple is reportedly working on tweaking its iPhone operating system to allow European users to choose a third-party voice assistant as their default option over Siri.
据报道，Apple 正在努力调整其 iPhone作系统，以允许欧洲用户选择第三方语音助手作为 Siri 的默认选项。
The news comes via a bombshell Bloomberg Apple AI report by Mark Gurman and Drake Bennet, citing "a person with knowledge of the matter" and follows in the wake of Apple's public struggle to provide Siri with AI upgrades that were first revealed in June 2024.
该消息来自马克·古尔曼 （Mark Gurman） 和德雷克·班纳特 （Drake Bennet） 的bombshell Bloomberg Apple AI 报告，援引“一位知情人士”的话，并在苹果公开努力为 Siri 提供 AI 升级之后，该升级于 2024 年 6 月首次披露。
It’s a situation that has already resulted in Apple pulling a range of AI-focused ads and "available now" claims from the Apple Intelligence webpage. These upgrades were originally supposed to launch in iOS 18.4 on March 31, but now appear to have been delayed with no firm release date.
这种情况已经导致 Apple 从 Apple Intelligence 网页上撤下了一系列以 AI 为重点的广告和“现在可用”的说法。这些升级原定于 18.4 年 31 月 31 日在 iOS 18.4 中推出，但现在似乎已被推迟，没有确定的发布日期。
This report also claims that Google Gemini is on track to be added in iOS 19 as a ChatGPT alternative, according to people with knowledge of the plan.
据了解该计划的人士称，该报告还声称 Google Gemini 有望作为 ChatGPT 替代品添加到 iOS 19 中。
Alongside struggling to make Siri smarter, Apple is also now seemingly facing regulatory sanctions in the EU after already being fined for forcing users to use its own App Store.
除了努力让 Siri 更智能之外，苹果现在似乎也面临着欧盟的监管zhicai，此前它已经因强迫用户使用自己的 App Store 而被罚款。
Right now, if you ask Siri on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone (iPhone 15 Pro or newer) something like "How does CRISPR DNA editing work?" the virtual assistant currently has no answer – except to ask users if they'd like ChatGPT to answer.
现在，如果你在支持 Apple Intelligence 的 iPhone（iPhone 15 Pro 或更新机型）上问 Siri 诸如“CRISPR DNA 编辑是如何工作的？”，虚拟助手目前没有答案——除了询问用户是否希望 ChatGPT 回答。
According to an Apple exec cited by Bloomberg, Apple's usual methodology is "we’re late, we have over a billion users, we’re going to grind it out, and we’re going to beat everyone", but that's not working this time around.
据Bloomberg援引一位苹果高管的话说，苹果通常的方法是“我们迟到了，我们有超过 10 亿用户，我们要磨练它，我们要打败所有人”，但这一次没有奏效。
Where to now for Siri?
To back up its claims, Bloomberg’s report notes that Eddy Cue – Apple’s Senior Vice President for Services – is worried that "AI could do to Apple what the iPhone did to Nokia". Cue has recently been quoted during court testimony as saying it's possible the iPhone could be irrelevant 10 years from now, "as crazy as it sounds".
为了支持其说法，Bloomberg的报告指出，苹果服务高级副总裁 Eddy Cue 担心“人工智能可能会对苹果造成 iPhone 对诺基亚的影响”。最近在法庭证词中援引 Cue 的话说，iPhone 可能在 10 年后变得无关紧要，“听起来很疯狂”。
While it ultimately might not have a choice when it comes to changes in the EU, Apple would obviously prefer Siri to be able to compete with Gemini and ChatGPT head on, but at this point, it does not appear to have a clear path when it comes to closing the gap, with a senior member of Apple's AI team stating, “This is a crisis… It’s been sinking for a long time.”
虽然在欧盟的变化方面最终可能别无选择，但苹果显然更希望 Siri 能够与 Gemini 和 ChatGPT 正面竞争，但在这一点上，它在缩小差距方面似乎没有明确的路径，苹果人工智能团队的一位高级成员表示， “这是一场危机......它已经沉没了很长时间。
While allowing users to ditch Siri for a third-party alternative would deal with the problem in the short term and could be a good thing for iPhone and Mac users, from Apple’s perspective it would also be an undesirable admittance of that current state of affairs.
虽然允许用户放弃 Siri 转而使用第三方替代品可以在短期内解决问题，并且对 iPhone 和 Mac 用户来说可能是一件好事，但从 Apple 的角度来看，这也是对当前状况的不受欢迎的承认。
In his court testimony, Cue stated that for the first time in 22 years, Google searches on Apple devices fell last month. The provided reason was that users were turning away from search engines and towards AI tools for gathering information.
在他的法庭证词中，Cue 表示，上个月 Apple 设备上的 Google 搜索量 22 年来首次下降。提供的原因是用户正在从搜索引擎转向用于收集信息的 AI 工具。
While Apple has a dedicated customer base that is going to continue to buy Apple devices almost no matter what, as AI becomes more integrated into people’s work and personal lives, it may be the deciding factor for less loyal users.
虽然 Apple 拥有专门的客户群，他们几乎无论如何都会继续购买 Apple 设备，但随着 AI 越来越多地融入人们的工作和个人生活，它可能是忠诚度较低的用户的决定性因素。
By comparison, Android devices have long allowed owners to switch to a different virtual assistant, something that’s continuing into the age of AI.
相比之下，Android 设备长期以来一直允许所有者切换到不同的虚拟助手，这种情况一直持续到 AI 时代。
Apple has undeniably fallen behind when it comes to AI integration, but perhaps not disastrously so – and when it comes to such a world-changing technology, maybe that's not such a bad thing. Given how unreliable Google AI Overviews can be, it's certainly not an exact science.
不可否认，Apple 在 AI 集成方面落后了，但也许不是灾难性的——当涉及到这样一项改变世界的技术时，也许这并不是一件坏事。鉴于 Google AI Overviews 的不可靠程度，它肯定不是一门精确的科学。
Acknowledging that they need time to get Siri to a point where it can rival the others, and giving users further functionality in the meantime, seems like a win/win for Apple and its customers – if the iPhone maker can swallow its pride.
承认他们需要时间让 Siri 达到可以与其他产品竞争的程度，并同时为用户提供更多功能，这对 Apple 及其客户来说似乎是双赢的——如果 iPhone 制造商能够忍气吞声。
