Everything about Apple’s new “AI for the rest of us” features

Apple Inc. has pulled the plug on long-awaited new artificial intelligence features, including a partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI, betting that a personalized, unobtrusive approach to the technology will win over customers.

A new AI platform called Apple Intelligence was the highlight of the company’s presentation at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, which also included updates to the iPhone maker’s operating systems. The technology will help summarize texts, create original images and retrieve the most relevant data when users need it. The initiative also includes a revamped version of Siri, the company’s once-pioneering digital assistant.

Apple is making a risky bet to catch up to rivals in the growing AI market. After falling behind technology rivals like Google and Alphabet Inc.’s Microsoft Corp., the company is counting on a streamlined interface — and a loyal customer base — to make up ground.

“This is a moment we’ve been working towards for a long time,” said Senior Vice President Craig Federighi, who oversees software engineering, at the event. He described Apple Intelligence as “AI for the rest of us,” alluding to an old slogan about the Mac computer.

The partnership with OpenAI, revealed by Bloomberg ahead of the event, will allow customers to access ChatGPT via Siri at no extra cost. Apple Intelligence will begin rolling out later this year, but some features — including Siri’s ability to precisely control app features — won’t arrive until next year. Support for languages ​​other than English will also arrive later.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was at Monday’s event and wrote on social media site X that he was “very happy” to be teaming up with Apple. While the ChatGPT integration is free, paid OpenAI subscribers will receive additional features over time. Apple, which has also held talks with Google about using the company’s Gemini feature, said it plans to support other services later.

Ensuring customer data is secure was a key theme of the presentation. A system called Private Cloud Compute will help keep users’ information secure when it is sent to data centers, Federighi said. Apple Intelligence will also support AI-created emojis called Genmoji and automated photo editing.

Apple’s iOS 18 and iPadOS – its software for iPhone and iPad – will have features that improve personalization, productivity and communication. Some additions will include:

• An updated home screen will allow users to place icons anywhere. The colors of the app icons can also be changed and can be colored when the device is placed in dark mode.
• A new Control Center includes support for third-party controls, multiple settings pages, and an updated look and feel.
• The iPhone 14 and newer models will support satellite text messaging. This was previously available in emergency situations.
• The Messages app will be able to schedule a text to be sent at a later time. The Tapbacks feature, which allows users to quickly respond to texts with things like a heart or question mark, will now work with an emoji or digital sticker.
• Customers can set up effects – such as a shaky word – for individual words and phrases, rather than entire texts. And there’s support for rich text, which will make it easier for Apple customers to communicate with Android users.
• A passwords app will manage secure logins, access keys and Wi-Fi account details.
• A redesigned Photos app will use artificial intelligence to improve editing.
• There is the ability to block any application behind Face ID.
• The iPad gets the Calculator app for the first time and will let people solve handwritten math equations using an Apple Pencil. The absence of this app on the iPad has been a long-standing issue among customers, and the new feature was announced to applause at Monday’s event.

Investors had a lukewarm reaction to the event – ​​a not uncommon reaction when Apple releases long-awaited new features.

Shares fell nearly 2% to $193.12 in New York, leaving shares little changed for the year.

The Cupertino, California-based company also released macOS Sequoia, which includes the same Apple Intelligence features as the iPad and iPhone.

Some of its other improvements:

• The ability to receive and interact with iPhone notifications.
• The ability to drag and drop files between devices.
• Mirror an iPhone screen so it can be used on a Mac screen.
• The ability to organize Mac application windows as tiles that stick to different parts of the screen.
• And the company revealed visionOS 2, the latest version of its software for the Vision Pro headset. It brings new features for photos and office work, including:
• The ability to transform normal photos into 3D spatial images.
• New hand gestures to open home view and control center.
• A new version of the Mac Virtual Display feature that can create an immersive virtual display.
• The ability to stream AirPlay content from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the Vision Pro.

Apple also announced plans to launch the Vision Pro internationally, with pre-orders starting in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore on June 13. The device will go on sale in these areas on June 28th. Germany and the United Kingdom. Pre-orders will begin in these countries on June 28th and sales will begin on July 12th.

Meanwhile, new AirPods software will make it easier to hear users’ voices during a call by removing background noise. The Apple Watch will have additional health features like improved pregnancy tracking and an app that shows vital stats at a glance.

But AI capabilities were the biggest focus of the event. These tools will also include the ability to transcribe phone calls and voice notes, solve advanced math equations, sort emails, and prioritize notifications.

While Apple had an early lead in AI after launching Siri in 2011, its technology was quickly overtaken by Google Assistant and Amazon.com Inc.’s Alexa. Then AI took another giant leap forward when OpenAI’s ChatGPT arrived on the market. end of 2022.

That has led to a flurry of other services, including those from Google, Microsoft and Meta Platforms Inc. Samsung Electronics Co. — Apple’s biggest rival in smartphones — also integrated Google’s AI capabilities into its devices earlier this year.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is now under pressure to show that the iPhone maker can lead again. The company is also facing a broader decline in sales. Revenues have declined in five of the last six quarters due to weak smartphone demand and the slowdown in China.

On Monday, Cook said AI would be “the next big thing for Apple.” While the company doesn’t make money directly from the new features, the hope is to make users more loyal and encourage them to update more frequently.

“We believe Apple Intelligence will be indispensable for products that already play such an important role in our lives,” he said.

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)