Apple appears to be working on some sort of natural-sounding voice update for Siri on the Apple TV and macOS TV app UI changes, according to information 9to5Mac discovered in the latest tvOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3 betas.
The information from the tvOS 16.4 beta suggests that Apple has developed a "Siri Natural Language Generation" framework to improve the personal assistant's natural language capabilities. According to 9to5Mac, Apple uses natural language generation to let Siri tell jokes. Since this feature is also available on the iPhone and other devices, it's not entirely clear what has changed. As 9to5Mac explained:
Natural language generation: Apple redesigns Siri
In the latest tvOS 16.4 beta, Apple has enabled a new framework for the Siri Natural Language Generation features. At the moment, Apple only uses natural language generation to let Siri tell jokes on the Apple TV. The company is experimenting with how speech generation can also be used for timers.
The updated natural language generation framework appears to be limited to tvOS 16.4 - little is known about it at this time. However, 9to5Mac suspects that similar (unenabled) code is included in iOS, HomePod OS, iPadOS, and macOS, so the Siri features Apple is working on could be available on all devices in the future. There is no indication that the natural language enhancement for Siri is an attempt by Apple to compete with Google, Microsoft, and other AI-based chatbots. But it does seem that Apple has a plan to improve Siri's capabilities starting with tvOS 16.4.
TV App: macOS Ventura 13.3 Beta reveals new design
Separately, a hidden version of the Apple TV app for Mac in the latest macOS Ventura 13.3 beta shows off a new design. There's an additional sidebar for navigation, bringing the Apple TV app for Mac in line with the version for iPad. The sidebar makes it easier to access various features of the TV app, including Apple TV+, Watch Now, the library, shows and movies to buy, and more. Aside from the sidebar, the interface is similar to the current TV app. It should be noted that the updated version of the TV app is not yet implemented in the current macOS 13.3 beta, so it could be added in a future beta, or Apple could save it for a later software update. (Photo by berya113 / Bigstockphoto)
