On September 28th, former Apple engineers Siri and Apple Intelligence from IT announced the launch of an intelligent entity named szn, which can operate directly within iMessage conversations. This entity can assist users in browsing web pages, purchasing products, and communicating with merchants on their behalf. Registration for this service is now open on the official website, offering early access to a limited group of users, with plans to expand the availability to a wider range in October.
Unlike traditional chatbots, szn doesn't just answer users' questions; it can also perform actual actions on their behalf. Currently, users can interact with iMessage and szn. These tools are capable of extracting and analyzing data based on shared memos, Find My locations, and iCloud files. Users don't need to leave the current conversation to have AI complete relevant tasks for them.
Gupta indicates that each user will receive an independent AI model, and each szn entity has its own unique name, email address, and phone number. Therefore, in theory, it can communicate with external services just like an independent contact. For example, users can use it to contact merchants, process orders, or make appointments on their behalf.
However, it is still unclear how szn can be integrated with iMessage. Previously, Apple has restricted third-party services from accessing iMessage through unofficial means. A typical example is Beeper Mini, which attempted to connect to iMessage by impersonating an Apple device, but was quickly blocked by Apple.
In June this year, Poke became the first AI intelligent entity to be approved by Apple to connect to the Messages for Business platform. This means that it has access to Apple's official messaging platform channels. However, it is not yet clear whether szn uses a similar method to connect to iMessage.
At the same time, Apple is also continuously enhancing the AI capabilities of Siri. The new version of Siri in iOS is now able to perform certain operations within the application and draft messages according to the user's expression habits. OpenAI has previously also added functions to read iMessage for Mac version ChatGPT and assist in generating replies, but the final sending of messages still requires user confirmation.
However, allowing AI to directly process payment information and send messages to external parties in its own name also means that users need to consider issues such as privacy, security, and scope of authorization. The specific charging model of szn and the technical details of its connection to iMessage are still subject to further official announcements.
