**Apple Plans Major Siri Overhaul with Advanced Language Models**

Apple is reportedly making significant strides in enhancing Siri by leveraging large language models (LLMs), aiming to make the virtual assistant more conversational and capable of nuanced reasoning. The tech giant is also advancing its work on a new model to rival ChatGPT. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is internally testing various models with different complexities, including versions with 3 billion, 7 billion, 33 billion, and 150 billion parameters.

The largest of these models, boasting 150 billion parameters, operates via the cloud and is significantly more potent than Apple's existing on-device intelligence, which incorporates foundational models of 3 billion parameters. An internal testing tool named "Playground" has allowed Apple to benchmark this advanced model, with results suggesting its performance is on par with recent ChatGPT releases. However, there are ongoing concerns about its reliability and potential to generate inaccurate information, often referred to as "hallucinations."

Internal discussions at Apple also reveal some "philosophical differences" among executives regarding the new AI strategies, although specifics on these disagreements were not provided by Gurman. Furthermore, Apple has AI development teams stationed in Zurich, focused on crafting a new software architecture for Siri. This new model is set to replace the current "hybrid" architecture of Siri, which has been criticized for its incoherent layering of functionalities.

In addition, Apple is testing an innovative chatbot model, named "Knowledge", which can access and synthesize data from the internet. This feature, under the leadership of Robby Walker, is expected to be integrated into Siri's capabilities. However, it faces similar challenges that have delayed the broader Siri overhaul.

Despite the ambitious plans, there is no clear timeline for the implementation of these new technologies. Following criticism for previous premature announcements, Apple is unlikely to disclose a launch schedule at the upcoming WWDC. In the interim, iOS 26 is expected to include Google’s Gemini as an alternative to ChatGPT within Siri, with discussions also underway for potential integration of Perplexity's AI service for Siri and Safari search.

These developments hint at a significant transformation in Apple's AI landscape, potentially positioning Siri as a more robust competitor in the virtual assistant arena.