The AI Assistant Apple Should Have Shipped
The new Siri AI remains decidedly uneven at best. At worst, it is frustrating as hell. If I only had a nickel for every time I've seen or heard this message over the last three weeks.
Maybe Apple's is trying to boil the ocean with new Siri. A truly smart AI companion isn't impossible.
Exhibit A: Instinct.
Perhaps you've heard of it. The buzzy startup has raised funding at a $2.5 billion valuation. Instinct works inside your messaging app of choice.
I've been kicking its tires for the past week, and I'm very impressed. Instinct makes reservations and can also purchase items on its own. As you'll see below, it also monitors websites when corporations fail to provide their customers a rudimentary way to keep appraised of product updates.
Oh, Brother
Brother has yet to drop a proper macOS27 driver for my 12-year-old printer. As a result, I cannot print from apps. From the ancient company's remarkably user-unfriendly website:
Instead, I have to rely on a Band-Aid.
Why Brother doesn't let customers sign up for product updates absolutely mystifies me. After all, a simple button asking for an email address isn't a tough ask in 2026.
Yeah, I can use Change Tower as a website monitor, but I wanted to try a new, AI-centric way. In the Apple Messages app, I asked Instinct keep an eye out on the Brother site for me:
As of now, Instinct is freeโnot that I expect that to last.
At least one new Safari feature compensates for the deficient Siri: Apple's browser lets create website alerts, as I've done below:
Phil Simon
Simon Says
Will Apple will right the AI ship anytime soon? I'm skeptical. (How Siri AI launched in a state of eternal beta positively mystifies me.) Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that new CEO John Termus doesn't care much what others think.
I'm not holding my breath for a better Siri. Never again will I update to an Apple OS before its third iteration.
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