Apple is set to unveil a series of artificial intelligence (AI) features for iPhones with the upcoming iOS 18 update, according to a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The tech giant plans to introduce these enhancements at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2024, aiming to leverage AI to provide a more proactive and intelligent user experience.
The proposed AI-powered features for iOS 18 are focused on “proactive intelligence” and include auto-summarizing notifications, providing quick synopses of news articles, transcribing voice memos, improving calendar auto-population, and suggesting relevant apps based on user behavior and context. Additionally, Apple is expected to introduce AI-based photo editing tools, although these may not match the advanced capabilities already available in some other products on the market.
While Apple has been reluctant to develop its own proprietary chatbot due to potential controversies, the company recognizes the growing consumer demand for generative AI capabilities. To address this, Apple is reportedly partnering with OpenAI to integrate its technology into iOS 18. The announcement of this collaboration is expected at the upcoming WWDC event, with OpenAI working to ensure it can handle the anticipated influx of users.
Furthermore, the report suggests that Apple was considering licensing Google’s Gemini AI assistant for integration into iOS 18, but no agreement has been reached. The company is also contemplating the development of its own search engine, potentially with enhanced privacy features similar to DuckDuckGo, to reduce its reliance on Google’s services.
One of the key areas where Apple aims to enhance its AI capabilities is Siri, the company’s virtual assistant. The iOS 18 update is expected to make Siri more conversational and improve its voice capabilities, bridging the gap with advanced AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini.
Apple’s move to embrace AI comes as rivals like OpenAI and Google have recently announced their latest AI products, increasing the pressure on the tech giant to keep pace with the rapidly evolving landscape. OpenAI’s GPT-4o model offers lifelike conversation abilities, while Google is integrating generative AI into its search engine and testing multi-modal chat assistants on mobile devices.
As the competition in the AI space intensifies, Apple’s integration of OpenAI’s technology and its efforts to enhance Siri’s capabilities with iOS 18 represent a significant step towards staying competitive and meeting the growing demand for intelligent and proactive AI-powered experiences on its popular iPhone devices.
