Apple Intelligence: iPhones, iPads, and Macs set to be upgraded with AI

With Apple Intelligence, Apple plans to improve iPhones, iPads, and Macs by adding advanced AI features, making them more powerful and user-friendly.

Apple’s foray into artificial intelligence was unveiled at WWDC 2024, aptly named Apple Intelligence. As most Apple users know, this tech company’s products are one of the spearheads of cutting-edge technology in all its areas, be it mobile phones, entertainment channels, or personal computers.

Well, the name of the game of today’s technology is AI and Apple’s not far behind. Already, they have begun to integrate artificial intelligence into their products as a native feature. In this article, we will dive deep into all that we know currently about this new Apple’s AI.

What is Apple Intelligence?

Apple Intelligence is a multimodal, cross-platform AI initiative that integrates seamlessly with various Apple devices. This initiative will incorporate generative AI features, such as writing and image creation, with a much superior Siri assistant. But Apple doesn’t work without a USP. What sets this Apple AI apart is its stringent focus on privacy leading to minimal data sharing and robust data protection measures.

Features of Apple Intelligence

Privacy-centric design

One of the standout features of Apple Intelligence is its privacy-centric design. Unlike other AI platforms, like the world-famous ChatGPT, Apple ensures that most AI functionalities operate directly on your device, reducing the need for cloud-based data processing. When cloud computing is necessary, Apple’s Power Cloud Compute standard safeguards your data by preventing it from being dispersed across multiple servers. All these painstaking efforts are a clear indication of Apple’s commitment to user privacy, a recurring theme in their presentations.

Enhanced Siri capabilities

No one is a stranger to Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant. Surprisingly, Siri is to receive substantial upgrades thanks to Apple’s AI.

No longer confined to a simple voice-activated assistant, Siri will now engage more dynamically with your device. Effectively, Siri will be upgraded to assist with richer language understanding and contextual relevance. Activating Siri will transform your entire home screen.

One of the most amazing upgrades is that you can now type commands to Siri, a feature that many think should have been always available. Siri’s ability to remember the context of your previous interactions will make conversations smoother and more intuitive. Additionally, Siri will offer guidance on enhancing the usage of your device. This will allow her to answer a broader range of questions and provide relevant suggestions based on your current screen activity.

Generative AI features

Apple Intelligence includes a suite of generative AI tools designed to enhance your productivity and creativity. These tools include writing and editing assistance, image creation, and organizational features. For instance, wherever you input text, Apple’s AI can suggest improvements, proofread, and even summarize content. This feature will be important for note-takers.

A notable addition is the Image Playground app and it uses generative AI for personalized image creation. Based on your activities and messages, it can suggest prompts and styles, making it easier to create relevant images. Also, the platform introduces Genmoji. This interesting tool generates custom emojis based on descriptive inputs from the user.

Contextual awareness and reduced interruptions

Apple AI’s ability to prioritize and manage notifications is another key feature that will immensely help in priority-based engagement. By staying aware of your incoming messages and notifications, Apple Intelligence can identify and highlight high-priority communications leading to fewer unnecessary interruptions. The new Reduce Interruptions Focus mode utilizes this AI capability to ensure you are only disturbed by messages that genuinely require your attention.

Summarization and organization

Apple intelligence is not limited to generative AI. As mentioned, it can also summarize content. It can condense conversations, messages, and even audio recordings. This functionality is particularly useful for keeping track of important details without sifting through lengthy communications. For instance, recording a phone call or a note and having it summarized can save you significant time and effort.

Image and video enhancements

Apple phones are known for their great image and video qualities. It is no surprise then that Apple’s AI offers several innovative tools for the enhancement of these features. The Magic Eraser-style feature removes unwanted objects from photos and blends the background to create natural-looking images. Additionally, the AI assists in searching and organizing your media. You can search for specific scenes in videos or categories of photos, and Apple Intelligence will compile a video presentation complete with suitable background music.

Integration with ChatGPT

Where is the talk of AI, how can one not mention ChatGPT? Apple’s AI will incorporate access to ChatGPT, adding an extra layer of functionality for understanding documents and images. Siri can route certain requests through ChatGPT, with added privacy measures to obscure your IP address and prevent data storage by OpenAI. This integration makes sure that users can benefit from advanced AI capabilities while maintaining their privacy.

Apple Intelligence’s Availability and Compatibility

Currently, Apple Intelligence is available to developers through the latest betas of macOS 15 Sequoia, iPadOS 18, and iOS 18, which will be available in September 2024. Public beta testers will also gain access, possibly with limited features.

The official release is anticipated in the latter half of the year, possibly coinciding with the launch of new Apple hardware, such as the iPhone 16.

Apple’s AI will be compatible with devices using the M1, M2, M3, and M4 chips, as well as the A17 Pro chipset. This includes recent iPad Pro and iPad Air models, but not the older devices and some current models like the iPad mini and base model iPads. For iPhones, only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will support these features, given their A17 Pro chipsets.

Privacy Measures in Apple Intelligence

As mentioned, privacy is of the utmost importance to Apple. This is evident in the various privacy measures deployed in Apple’s AI. By ensuring that most AI processes occur on your device, Apple minimizes the risk of data exposure. Even when cloud processing is required, the data remains protected within a Private Cloud Compute environment. This environment ensures that your device communicates only with servers that have been publicly verified and logged.

While that is all that we currently know about Apple Intelligence, its story is far from finished. Apple is going to continue to upgrade this technology. That means going beyond ChatGPT and incorporating diverse products into Apple’s ecosystem. All of this will happen while maintaining Apple’s high standards of privacy and security.