Apple is gearing up to unveil new artificial intelligence (AI) features in iOS 18 at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, according to a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman. These features highlight Apple’s focus on “proactive intelligence” to enhance user experience on iPhones and other Apple devices.
A key highlight is an auto-summarization tool for notifications in iOS 18. This will help users quickly grasp the essence of incoming notifications without having to delve into each one individually.
Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, is also set for an upgrade. It will adopt a more conversational tone and gain new functionalities to assist with daily tasks. This includes automatically summarizing news articles, transcribing voice memos, and offering suggestions relevant to the user’s context.
Beyond notifications and Siri, Apple is expected to introduce AI-powered photo editing tools. Additionally, calendar apps will benefit from improved auto-population features, and app suggestions will become more intelligent.
It’s important to note that Apple won’t be introducing a competitor to chatbots like ChatGPT at this stage. Gurman acknowledges that Apple is “playing catch-up” in this area. However, a significant partnership announcement with OpenAI is expected at WWDC, hinting at Apple’s long-term plans to develop its own advanced chatbot solution.
Apple is also reportedly planning to leverage cloud-based services supported by its custom-designed Silicon chips for certain AI features. However, the primary focus will be on on-device processing, likely to ensure user privacy and potentially improve responsiveness.
Gurman cautions that Apple’s AI announcements might not be as groundbreaking as those from competitors like OpenAI and Google. This is attributed to Apple’s yearly update cycle for iOS compared to the more frequent releases from its rivals. To stay competitive in the AI race, Apple might need to consider more frequent updates for its core functionalities.
On the hardware front, however, Apple is accelerating advancements. The recently launched iPad Pro with the M4 chip boasts enhanced AI processing capabilities. Gurman expects all Macs to feature the M4 chip by 2025, and the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro, expected in September, is also rumored to receive a significant AI hardware upgrade.
Apple’s WWDC 2024 will provide a more comprehensive picture of these AI-powered features, along with previews of next-generation software updates for iPad, Mac, Watch, and Apple TV. The conference kicks off on June 10th and runs through June 14th.