Tim Cook says Apple may charge for AI Siri
TL;DR
Apple hinted Thursday that heavy users of its revamped Siri may have to pay for access. Why it matters: It's the first time that Apple has confirmed it will charge for the new AI-powered voice assistant. What they're saying: In a conference call to discuss Apple's most recent quarterly earnings, CEO Tim Cook said Apple is still developing its plan to address the higher computing costs that will come with the improved voice assistant.
Nauti's Take
The opportunity here is candour: Apple is admitting for the first time that good AI costs real compute, and a price tag finally makes the maths predictable for users. The catch is the tie to iCloud+, which folds Siri usage into a subscription many people bought for entirely different reasons.
Occasional Siri users will barely notice, while anyone building workflows on voice control should put the running cost into their planning now.
Sources