During an Apple special event in Cupertino, California, an attendee was spotted wearing the new AirPods Pro. The event took place on September 07, 2022.

Apple, known for its innovation, has not delved much into discussing modern AI systems. This decision raises questions about the company’s intention behind integrating voice recognition technology, as it could potentially invade users’ privacy, akin to HAL 9000 from “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

The patent application, filed in January, describes a system that determines if “motion data” aligns with a spoken word or phrase. The system specifically mentions improving voice commands like “Hey Siri,” “skip,” or “next song” by analyzing users’ mouth movements.

This approach aims to enhance user experiences without relying on a device’s camera. Instead, the software uses motion sensors, such as accelerometers or gyroscopes, to monitor mouth, neck, or head movements to identify human speech.

For this system to work effectively, Apple would need extensive data on how humans use their mouths, likely through setting up individual “voice profiles” for users. Apple also discusses a “first language model” that might require training on sample datasets, hinting at the potential use of AI for recognizing facial movements.

This aligns with Apple’s strategy of integrating AI into its new features. It’s important to note that not all of Apple’s concepts materialize into products, but this recent development appears to have more substance.

It raises ethical and privacy concerns, but only time will tell how Apple chooses to implement this technology.