Apple announced its new AI project, Apple Intelligence, at the WWDC conference in Cupertino, California not but 19 minutes from us writing this article. This technology is Apple’s first generative AI and will be integrated into their products like the iPhone, Mac, Mail, Messages, and Photos. Apple Intelligence aims to understand users and their data uniquely, unlike broad AI systems like ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overview. The “Terminator” uprising is not yet on the horizon, but this new AI will be available for the iPhone 15 Pro, iPads, and Macs with M1 series chips or newer, starting this fall.
The biggest updates will be for Siri, Apple’s voice assistant. Siri will get a new “look”, feel more natural, and respond better. You’ll be able to ask follow-up questions, interrupt yourself while talking, and type requests if you don’t want to speak out loud. Siri will also be able to use it’s own step-cousin ChatGPT to handle requests instead of just using Apple’s own AI models.
Apple says the updated Siri is smarter about Apple products. (Whatever that means) But it seems as though you can ask how features and settings work, and Siri will give accurate answers. Siri can also understand what’s on your screen. For example, if a friend sends an address in Messages, you can say “save this address,” and Siri will do it. It’s like Lloyd in a phone.
Siri can understand your personal data too. You can ask, “Show me photos of Stacy in New York wearing a pink coat,” and Siri will find that photo in your Photos app. You can then tell Siri to move the photo to another app, like Mail. This works with third-party apps as well. If you need to pick someone up at the airport, you can ask Siri when they land. Siri will find the flight information from Mail and check real-time flight data to tell you when to leave.
Beyond Siri, your devices will prioritize important notifications and minimize less relevant ones. This could get tricky, because chronological order works best, and certain things may change relevance as any day, week, or month progresses. Past that, writing tools can create, rewrite, or summarize information for you, available in Notes, Mail, and third-party apps. Not coppin’ those fire likes on IG? (We hated writing that sentence, but there are 18-year-olds that read this site)… You can create AI images of people, places, and animals in three styles across your apps.
Many of Apple’s AI models will run on the device, but some will use the cloud. Apple has developed a new service called Private Cloud Compute servers to keep user data secure while using cloud-based services. In addition Apple’s new servers are built using Apple Silicon and have strong privacy features. When you make a request, Apple Intelligence decides if it can process it on your device or if it needs to use the cloud. However, Apple SAYS it won’t store any of your information used for these requests in the cloud.
Wall Street has been waiting on pins and needles for Apple to introduce its generative AI capabilities, especially since Microsoft launched its OpenAI-powered Bing chatbot, now called Copilot, in 2023. Google quickly followed with its Bard chatbot, later renamed Gemini. Meta has also added AI to its platforms through recommendation software and the Meta AI chatbot. However, these guys have faced challenges with their AI launches. Google’s Bard made headlines for giving a wrong answer in a simple advertisement. That’s like asking your 6 year old sister to read your thesis on 19th century Germanic poetry to your parents.
Then, let’s not forget the Gemini image generator produced historically inaccurate images. More recently, Google’s AI Overview rollout for its Search platform was criticized for suggesting unsafe and bizarre advice, like eating rocks and adding glue to pizza. Sounds like a fun Saturday night at Carlie Sheen’s house, but that might not cut it for the ladies and gentlemen of the general public.
Microsoft recently introduced its Copilot+PC standard for laptops and desktops, along with the Recall app for Windows 11. Recall takes screenshots of everything you use on your computer to help you find apps and information later. However, it was criticized as a potential security risk, prompting Microsoft to update the app to make it opt-in and enhance its security before releasing it. Meta DID face criticism for not allowing users to turn off the Meta AI chatbot in its apps.
These issues haven’t stopped the companies, but Apple SEEMS to be different. Known for its security and reliable software, Apple’s reputation could be messed with if its generative AI efforts have similar flaws as Google’s and Microsoft’s. Such a failure could also damage the overall trust in generative AI technology. Yet, all that being said and considered, Apple still has time on its watch to improve Apple Intelligence before it launches on devices in September, and lets hope they do… it’s too late to pull the plug on this now.
