The AI features coming with iOS 18 are the subject of much debate. It was previously said that iOS 18’s initial set of AI features, or core features, would work natively on the iPhone because they were built by Apple rather than third parties.
With iOS 18, a new leak reveals how Apple’s AI initiatives will change the majority of its core or first-party apps. According to a detailed leak obtained by Apple Insider, Apple plans to roll out AI-powered updates to all of its core apps, including Mail, Messages, Spotlight Search, Safari and Siri.
Apple is also expected to include Safari 18’s much-anticipated ‘Intelligent Search’ feature. This will make it easier and faster for people to create short summaries of websites. Not only does Apple’s AI model have amazing app integration, it can also pull data from saved calendars and contacts to create contextually appropriate responses, which will help Siri.
But keep in mind that more complex tasks like generating original content and complete responses may still require cloud processing. This is consistent with previous reports that Apple is considering partnering with OpenAI and Google to bring artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to iPhones.
Apple is clearly committed to protecting user privacy, as Apple Insider also reported that the company is still refining its AI models to reduce reliance on cloud-based processing. By doing so, confidential user data will be protected. At the WWDC conference later this year, Apple is expected to showcase new AI technologies.
Here’s what the publication says about them:
Rumored iOS 18
We don’t know much about iOS 18’s key features, even if the WWDC 2024 keynote is still a few months away and software updates are harder to predict because Apple has more control over that information. Bloomberg’s Mark Gorman, however, expects a more thorough update. This futuristic operating system has been called “ambitious and compelling” by Apple’s senior management.
Ai is Key to iOS 18
Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu predicted that generative AI tools for the iPhone could finally arrive in iOS 18 in late 2024. According to him, Apple plans to build several hundred AI servers by 2023 and more by 2024. As AI server provider Supermicro TrendForce further suggests that Apple may buy AI servers.
By the end of 2024, Apple will finally make its creative AI available to iPhone and iPad users through a combination of cloud-based AI and on-device data processing. It will be added in the iOS 18 cycle.
Some other reports also discuss Apple’s upcoming GPT. The Information shared that Cupertino spends millions of dollars a day training its major language models, or LLMs as they call them.
The article states that most of this investment will go towards providing AppleCare to customers, although the Siri team plans to use these language models to greatly improve the accessibility of the complex shortcut integration.
The news is interesting because, according to many inside the Apple team, Ajax GPT — which Bloomberg previously reported — may be a more sophisticated language model than GPT. 3.5 from OpenAI. While other businesses are already developing superior solutions, it’s encouraging to know that Apple has made significant strides in the field of conversational AI.
The iOS 17.4 code indicates that Apple is evaluating a total of four AI models. AjaxGPT is one of them, and it also uses ChatGPT and Google’s FLAN-T5.
Finally, Apple analyzes its test results with on-device and Internet processing using ChatGPT with FLAN-T5 to extend and integrate its LLMs into iOS.
How Apple could use AI with iOS 18?
Bloomberg’s Mark Gorman agreed with Jeff Pu and The Information that generative AI will play a major role in iOS 18 and iPhone 16. Here are a few examples of how Apple AI is used:
Features like auto-completion and auto-summary for productivity applications and essential programs (pages, keynotes). Leaker yeux1122 also reported on this, claiming that code in iOS 18 hints at this feature.
• Improved Apple Music playlist building
• Siri (a major redesign with an emphasis on AI)
• A new version of Xcode for developers features code completion.
• AppleCare tools to help staff members solve clients’ problems
Gorman has said that Apple intends for the first wave of AI technologies to work only on iPhones. This indicates that software enabling additional features, the company’s broad language model, does not have a cloud processing component. The allegation makes even more sense in light of Apple’s acquisition of a French business that specializes in embedded artificial intelligence and algorithmic compression.
However, since they will be running on the device, Apple’s AI functions should be faster and more private. They may not be as smart as what rival companies offer. Nonetheless, Gorman believes that iOS 18’s cloud-based AI features will eventually be powered by Google Gemini or another major language model.
Baidu, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini can power some AI functions.
Bloomberg reports that Apple is reportedly in talks with Google to license Gemini, which previously gave OpenAI’s ChatGPT some thought. While it’s unclear whether Apple will cooperate with Google, the decision isn’t entirely unexpected. The Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 already have powerful AI capabilities powered by Gemini. The latter was certainly memorable earlier in the year.
Given that Google has some of the strongest creative AI technologies available, Apple’s interest in it is understandable. Thanks to a partnership between Apple and Google, Google Search is now the iPhone’s default search engine. This is because Google Search was previously the most effective web search engine available. And Google is willing to spend billions to close the deal.
On the one hand, knowing that Apple is viable for these collaborations. Apple can leverage a major third-party language model—ChatGPT, Gemini, or another model—to enable specific AI functionalities on the iPhone. An alternative is to wait for your Apple GPT to catch up with Google and OpenAI’s GPT.
According to a rumor, Apple plans to use Baidu in China for its creative AI functions. One of China’s more than 40 AI models approved by local regulators is Baidu’s Ernie Bot, a competitor to ChatGPT. A collaboration with Apple would represent a significant advantage for Baidu, given the growing rivalry in the area.
Final Wording
With iOS 18, several iPhone AI features are expected to launch. Expect a lot of surprises from this upcoming software update, which will be revealed at WWDC 2024.
