Apple launches AI shopping test and AI hotline in US

Anyone opening the Apple Store app in the US may now come across a chat assistant: Apple is showing it to selected users as “Early Preview”. At the same time, the support hotline 1-800-APL-CARE has begun using a generative computer voice in recent days, which is intended to answer questions directly and offer troubleshooting tips.

The shopping assistant is intended to provide product information, estimate the value of a trade-in, explain mobile contracts for iPhones and clarify payment options. Users who do not want to type can click on suggested questions. The feature is voluntary and initially limited to selected users—it is not a broad-based service.

On the phone, Apple is taking things a step further. The computer voice is no longer intended merely to find the right area in the help offering, but to formulate answers using Apple’s support knowledge. According to reports, the system behind it comes from Sierra AI and was trained on Apple’s support database. Anyone who needs a human should still be transferred to one; how easily that can be done remains unclear.

Apple itself points to the limitations: The shopping assistant may provide inaccurate answers. According to Apple, the dialogues are stored to safeguard quality and system performance, and the system is also intended to monitor attempted fraud. It was initially impossible to assess how often incorrect answers occur.

What’s next? Apple apparently also wants to reduce the volume of calls handled by real people in the call center. There is no launch date for European users yet; the technology could arrive in Europe later, provided EU rules do not stand in the way. Its concrete usefulness therefore depends on two unresolved points—the quality of its answers and a straightforward transition to a human.