Apple Support App Previews New ChatGPT-Like Assistant
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A few weeks back, strings of code were discovered in the Apple Support app showing that the app could soon be adding an AI “Support Assistant” based on generative models. Now, some Apple Support users are seeing an early preview of the feature.
As first reported by MacRumors, some users are seeing a new “Chat” tab in the app, providing access to the AI assistant. When the user taps the tab, they are greeted with a chat screen, which provides instructions, alongside the usual disclaimers about using and interacting with LLM-based products:
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Support Assistant is an experimental feature. Verify important information. Apple may use your device, account, and chat information to understand your issue, provide relevant responses, and improve Support Assistant. Data may be shared with partners for the purposes of providing you support.
The assistant is designed to handle simpler cases and offer users the option to escalate issues to a human representative if it cannot resolve the problem independently. The human representative can then take over and provide additional support.
While there is no word on the expected time frame for a rollout to all users, whether they reside in the US or abroad, some users have reported seeing the new Support Assistant already available in the Apple Support app.
To check if your Apple Support app has the feature, you’ll first need to install the app if you haven’t already done so. If you’re one of the lucky few, you’ll see a dedicated “Chat” button on the bottom. A quick tap of the button will allow you to query the new generative AI assistant. The feature can currently handle questions about Apple products and services, troubleshoot device issues, and answer questions about Apple device features.
If the AI chatbot cannot answer your question, you’ll be presented with the option to escalate the issue to a human member of Apple’s support staff.
It appears that Apple first tested the “Ask” feature with internal support personnel. In February 2024, iDrop News reported that AppleCare support advisors were internally testing a new “ChatGPT-like generative AI tool” called “Ask” to help them resolve customer support issues by having the information they required at their fingertips.
That version of “Ask” was not intended for use by customers, but instead was designed for use by Apple Support advisors, who could feed questions into the AI feature, allowing them to get faster answers to the customer’s problems, which they could then provide to the customer over the phone or via online chat.
Support personnel would not simply read the AI tool’s responses verbatim, but would instead use the background information that they can then apply to the customer’s specific situation.
In the olden days of customer support, first-line advisors would have a binder or another source of information at hand, that could walk them through possible solutions to the support caller’s issues. Cut to the present, and advisors have databases of information at their fingertips to help resolve issues. However, traditional database search methods can sometimes prove to be tricky, so “Ask” is designed to find relevant information more quickly to provide faster resolutions of customer problems.
