Apple has announced more on how it plans to stay on top of the AI boom with a series of planned AI-based features for the iPhone and other devices, including a support for Siri from ChatGPT.
At its annual WWDC event for software developers beginning on Monday, Apple promised to make the software more tailored to the individual needs of users, while at the same time offering the greatest possible level of data privacy.
The features are being deeply embedded in the operating systems for iPhone, Mac and iPad, software boss Craig Federighi said. This means that Apple's AI models have access to the information users need in order to be useful to them.
In Apple's typical manner of marketing new features with their own branding, the company did not use the usual generic term artificial intelligence and instead referred to "Apple Intelligence."
Many of the AI models run directly on the devices, Federighi said, meaning an internet connection is not always needed for features to work.
If necessary, the AI will connect to the internet, but with an encrypted connection. The Apple software decides on a case-by-case basis whether a task should be performed locally or with a connection.
Apple's voice assistant Siri, which recently seemed rather basic compared to chatbots such as ChatGPT, will also take on more tasks than before thanks to AI.
For example, you will be able to use voice commands to edit photos or add a friend's new address to your contact details directly from the chat app.
One of the new features is the ability to create customized emojis as you type a text. Apple calls the function "Genmoji" - because they are generated with the help of AI.
As "Apple Intelligence" also understands the content of emails and messages, the software can also weigh up whether they are important and should be prioritised for display.
In addition to the in-house AI models, users can also access the chatbot ChatGPT from the company OpenAI if they wish. Siri can thereby suggest having ChatGPT answer a query if it thinks the chatbot has better information, Federighi explains.
At its in-house WWDC conference, the iPhone company traditionally provides a preview of software and functions that will be introduced with new device generations later in the year.