What Is Apple Intelligence?
Apple Intelligence brings AI to every app, including ChatGPT to Siri.
Apple has long been rumored to be developing its AI chatbot, and this vision is finally taking shape under the banner of Apple Intelligence. This initiative is set to integrate AI features across all Apple apps, including enhancing Siri with ChatGPT capabilities, thereby defining the core user experience on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. This article delves into the history of Apple Intelligence and what users can expect as it rolls out on their devices.
History of Apple Intelligence
Apple has gradually integrated machine learning and artificial intelligence into its devices and features, such as Siri, Apple Maps, search, and the mixed-reality headset Vision Pro. However, it lacked a chatbot that could serve as a front-facing tool for its users. The breakthrough came with the popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which sparked a wave of generative AI apps like Bing Chat and Google Gemini.
Apple is known for creating anticipation around its announcements. Despite initially staying out of the ChatGPT frenzy, reports indicated that Apple was ramping up its AI development. Bloomberg reported that Apple was developing a generative AI chatbot dubbed “Apple GPT,” though its public release strategy remained undecided.
Apple finally lifted the veil at WWDC 2024, announcing Apple Intelligence and its collaboration with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to all Apple devices. Users with compatible devices will start seeing these enhancements with the beta release of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. Supported devices include the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPads and Macs running Apple Silicon (M) chips.
How Will Apple Intelligence Work?
Initially, Apple GPT was an internal generative AI chatbot for Apple engineers, functioning similarly to Gemini, ChatGPT, and Bing AI. It was trained on a large language model (LLM) and used by engineers to prototype features, summarize text, and answer questions.
Apple’s AI framework, Ajax, is built on top of Google Jax, Google’s machine learning framework. Ajax is used to create Apple’s proprietary LLM, which runs on Google Cloud, similar to its iCloud service. These LLMs enable generative AI chatbots to converse like humans and create new content such as text, images, or music.
For users, Apple Intelligence will embed these AI capabilities into every app on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. This means users will receive highly personalized responses to various requests, leveraging the personal data available on their Apple devices.
What Will Apple Intelligence Be Used For?
Apple CEO Tim Cook has emphasized the company’s commitment to adding AI capabilities to its devices while maintaining a cautious approach to user privacy. At the WWDC 2024 event, Apple reiterated that Apple Intelligence would access but not collect users’ personal data.
Here are some of the key features users can expect from Apple Intelligence:
Writing Tools
Apple Intelligence will offer a suite of tools to simplify writing tasks. These tools will assist with proofreading, providing revisions, rewriting text, and summarizing long blocks of text in emails and other writing apps.
Smarter Notifications
Apple Intelligence will prioritize notifications, ensuring that the most important ones are highlighted. This feature aims to reduce distractions by only bringing critical notifications to the user’s attention.
Enhanced Siri
The integration of Apple Intelligence will make Siri more capable of understanding natural speech, even when users stumble over words. Siri will provide how-to guidance across Apple devices and handle user-specific requests, such as finding a particular article or address mentioned in a conversation.
ChatGPT Integration
Siri will get an additional boost from ChatGPT, enhancing its ability to complete complex requests. Users will be asked for permission before Siri calls on ChatGPT, ensuring user control over their interactions.
Image Generation
The Image Playground feature will allow users to create personalized images relevant to their conversations in Messages, convert sketches into images for Notes, and generate Genmoji of friends and family.
Apple’s AI strategy has been gradually unfolding across its devices, and Apple Intelligence is set to seamlessly integrate into current and future projects. This initiative promises to become an integral part of every Apple user’s life, enhancing the functionality and personalization of Apple devices.
