Game AI Companions Outshine Apple’s Delayed Siri Promises

At an event in 2024, Apple unveiled a significantly improved Siri. This new version understands the context of conversations, can work with multiple apps, remembers user preferences, and genuinely assists with tasks. It was arguably the most impressive artificial intelligence demonstration Apple has ever given.

After the initial announcement, problems began to surface. A Bloomberg report revealed that Apple’s software head, Craig Federighi, had privately expressed concerns about features not functioning correctly. Shortly after, a lawsuit accused Apple of falsely advertising features that didn’t actually exist, claiming they heavily promoted these nonexistent capabilities across various media platforms. This week, Apple reached a settlement, agreeing to pay $250 million to resolve the lawsuit.

Despite fourteen years of development, Apple’s Siri still isn’t very good at handling complex requests across different apps or learning what users want. Interestingly, game developers, often working with limited resources and highly critical players, have been creating AI companions that excel at these very things. Here are ten of the best examples of these surprisingly advanced game AI characters.

GLaDOS — Portal / Portal 2

GLaDOS isn’t simply reactive; she constantly monitors everything the player does throughout the facility – every error, every failed test. She has complete and continuous awareness of the player’s progress. While running the entire research complex, controlling its systems, and even managing companion cubes, she provides commentary perfectly tailored to how well – or, more often, how poorly – the player is performing.

Apple’s Siri is aiming to seamlessly handle complex tasks across different apps, remembering your preferences and understanding the context – a challenge reminiscent of GLaDOS, the famously witty AI from the Portal video game who has been managing a complicated research facility for years.

Cortana — Halo Series

Before Microsoft simplified Cortana into just a calendar assistant, the character in fiction showed us what a truly helpful AI companion could be. This Cortana could analyze battle information instantly, find flaws in enemy defenses, take control of alien spacecraft, and even translate unfamiliar languages – all while grappling with surprisingly deep and relatable feelings about being an artificial intelligence and what it means to ‘live’.

Siri is designed to be many things at once – a helpful assistant that can navigate, translate languages, handle technical tasks, and even offer support. However, iClarified reports that the latest version still has a frustrating flaw: it sometimes interrupts users who speak quickly. Microsoft’s Cortana doesn’t have this problem.

POD 042 — NieR: Automata

POD 042 is a powerful AI that analyzes enemies, controls long-range weapons, and provides navigation – all without being disruptive. It only speaks when needed, remaining quiet otherwise, and adjusts its communication based on the situation. This ability to read the room is what truly sets it apart from other AI assistants.

Sources say Apple’s updated Siri is having trouble understanding requests and often responds slowly. Separately, POD 042 has consistently provided dependable support for missions since 2017.

The Focus — Horizon Forbidden West

Aloy’s Focus is a smart device that constantly scans the world around her, automatically finding machines, highlighting their weak points, guiding her on quests, and revealing story details. It works in the background, making everything she does more informative and intuitive. Apple intended Siri to function similarly – as a helpful system that understands what’s happening and offers relevant information without being prompted.

A recent Apple Intelligence demo showcased Siri proactively reading flight notifications and offering helpful suggestions, but CNBC reports this feature has been indefinitely postponed. Interestingly, the Focus app has been offering similar functionality – automatically taking action based on notifications – for the past two years.

VASCO — Starfield

VASCO, the robot companion in Starfield, stands out because he’s incredibly reliable. He consistently handles tasks like carrying items, tracking your progress, providing directions, and managing your inventory during lengthy adventures – all without glitches or needing to be restarted. This dependability is a rare quality in AI helpers, and it’s something assistants like Siri often struggle with.

According to iClarified, Apple’s internal tests revealed that the updated Siri sometimes misunderstands requests and can be slow to provide answers. In contrast, VASCO consistently performs reliably in all situations.

ctOS Hacking System — Watch Dogs 2

In Watch Dogs 2, the ctOS system—Marcus’s AI helper—lets you access phone calls, control traffic lights, cause distractions, and instantly gather information about people. It’s a powerful way to connect and control everything through apps. Apple’s vision for Siri in 2024—where it interacts with apps and acts for you—was a simpler version of this same idea.

Apple showcased these features in its product announcements, on its website, and in a TV ad, but had to remove the ad due to delays, as reported by Bloomberg via Yahoo Tech. The game Watch Dogs has offered similar functionality since 2014. Apple’s version is expected to launch on June 8th at WWDC, but it’s best not to rely on that date.

Siri can’t: tap email, cross-check contacts and send a message without full manual dictation.

The Bottom Line

AI companions in stories have it easy. They operate in predictable worlds with specific roles, and don’t have to deal with the messiness of everyday life. Unlike real people, they aren’t asked to handle tasks like making appointments.

It’s frustrating to compare Siri to what Apple originally said it would be. Those promises weren’t far-fetched ideas – they were planned features with specific release dates. Apple publicly advertised things like the ability to perform actions across different apps, remember personal details, anticipate user needs, and reliably handle complex tasks. In fact, according to Bloomberg via Yahoo Tech, Apple even had to take down commercials when those features were delayed.

For years, game developers have worked to overcome these challenges, simply because players expect a consistent experience. If a character in the game doesn’t remember you or loses track of your progress, it immediately pulls you out of the game world. This leads to players quitting and negative reviews.

Apple customers have been very understanding, but after a major lawsuit, lengthy waits, and with another WWDC event coming up, they’re no longer just looking for groundbreaking ideas. They simply want products that actually work and are delivered as promised. Many virtual AI assistants have already met this basic expectation for quite some time.

2026-05-08 23:06