Apple Intelligence showed at WWDC 2024: 10 new generative AI features it will give to Apple users

Apple is finally into the AI race. You call it Artificial Intelligence and Apple calls its own – Apple Apple Intelligence. Kicking off this year’s annual developer’s conference, Apple introduced its own personal intelligence system for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, at WWDC 2024. Apple will be integrating its new new-gen AI model into its next generation of software for its devices, including iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. According to Apple, its AI model leverages the power of Apple Silicon to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks.

With AI comes privacy concerns and to deal with that Apple ensures users that it is aware of privacy concerns and has designed the system to use on-device processing whenever possible. This means users’ data stays on their device and isn’t constantly uploaded to Apple’s servers. “And it can access that information in a completely private and secure way to help users do the things that matter most to them. This is AI as only Apple can deliver it, and we can’t wait for users to experience what it can do,” says Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Let’s take a detailed look at the new generative AI features Apple is bringing for its users:

New AI features in Apple devices

1. Apple Devices Getting Their AI Writing Tools: While Apple users have felt a bit left out seeing Android users getting all cool AI features, Apple has finally took a step up bringing suit AI capabilities to all its apps. Apple Intelligence will introduce writing tools to help users rewrite, proofread, and summarise text across Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps. The Rewrite feature will offer different versions of text, adjusting tone as needed. There is also a Proofread feature that will help check grammar and structure, suggesting edits. The Summarise option can condense long texts into brief formats like bulleted lists or tables.
2. Priority Messages in Mail: Using this feature, users can now highlight urgent emails at the top of the inbox. Users can preview summaries instead of the first few lines, simplifying the handling of long threads. Smart Reply offers quick response suggestions, ensuring comprehensive replies.
3. Improved Notifications: This feature will help you prioritise important alerts at the top of the stack. Summaries will provide key details on the Lock Screen. The Reduce Interruptions Focus filters notifications, allowing only urgent alerts, aiding in user focus.
4. Audio Transcription and Summarisation: This feature will help users record, transcribe, and summarise audio in Notes and Phone apps. Notifications alert participants when a recording starts, and summaries are generated after calls, aiding in information recall.
5. Image Playground: Apple is also introducing a new AI feature to help users create images in Animation, Illustration, or Sketch styles. Integrated into apps like Messages, it also exists as a standalone app. Personalised suggestions make image creation quick and relevant.
6. Genmoji Creation: Apple has also introduced a Genmoji feature that will allow users to create custom emojis by typing descriptions. These can represent friends and family based on photos and be used in messages as stickers or reactions, enhancing communication.
7. Advanced Photo Search and Cleanup: Similar to Google’s Magic Eraser, Apple now allows its users intuitive photo and video searches with natural language queries. Users can pinpoint specific moments in videos. The Clean Up tool removes distracting objects from photos, improving image quality without altering the subject. The Memories feature helps users create storylines from their media, crafting movies with a narrative arc and matching music suggestions.
8. Siri Enhancements: The biggest update to the AI advancements is the new version of Siri. The advanced Siri can now help users with improved language understanding, maintaining context across interactions. Users can type or speak to Siri interchangeably and use it for device support and advanced app actions. Siri can now add addresses from Messages to contacts or find specific articles from a Reading List.
9. Private Cloud Compute: This feature will help users by processing data on-device or via Private Cloud Compute for complex requests, ensuring user privacy. This technology scales computational capacity, and independent experts can inspect the code on Apple’s servers, providing transparency and trust.
10. ChatGPT Integration: Apple has notably integrated ChatGPT across iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. Siri can access ChatGPT for detailed responses, with user consent for each interaction. ChatGPT aids in generating content and images through Apple’s Writing Tools, enhancing creativity and productivity.

When will Apple release these AI features?

While all these features look enticing, Apple is keeping them for limited users for now. According to the company, Apple Intelligence will be available in beta this fall, supporting iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with M1 or later. Initially, it will be available in US English, with more features and languages rolling out over the next year.