WWDC 2024: see how to watch and what should be launched at the Apple event

Apple is about to start, this Monday (10), perhaps its most important event in years, facing a series of challenges.

At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference that begins this Monday (10) and will be streamed on the Apple website, from 2pm. The company is expected to announce a partnership with OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, and reveal the first batch of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools coming to its mobile operating system.

A major breakthrough in AI could drive growth in iPhone sales and services for years, as customers take longer to upgrade their devices and an uncertain economic environment weighs on consumers, especially in China. The company also faces regulatory scrutiny in Washington and was surpassed this week by chipmaker Nvidia as the second-largest publicly traded company in the US.

“We see generative AI as a key opportunity across all of our products and believe we have advantages that differentiate us,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said on the company’s last earnings call in early May, adding that the company would announce news in the “next few weeks”.

The timing is also notable: Apple is not always the first to adopt and integrate emerging technologies — it typically researches, develops, and seeks to perfect new technologies for years before including them in new products — but the speed with which the world is adopting Generative AI may be accelerating the company’s need for a state-of-the-art smartphone.

According to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, the company focusing fully on AI “will usher in a new frontier for Apple” that will have a lasting impact on its products and services.

Here’s a closer look at what to expect at Apple’s big event:

AI, AI and more AI

Apple is expected to call its AI initiative “Apple Intelligence” and make it opt-in only. It will require an iPhone 15 Pro or a device with an M1 chip or newer, as pointed out by a new Bloomberg report.

Perhaps the most obvious way Apple is embracing generative AI — the form of artificial intelligence that can provide thoughtful, detailed answers to questions — is through Siri, the company’s virtual assistant with an inconsistent track record. An integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 model could take Siri years forward, turning the feature into an iPhone chatbot.

This could allow Siri to perform specific tasks, such as remembering a photo taken years ago on the device or answering detailed questions about the weather, news or fun facts. Over time, it could learn a person’s preferences and even personality, responding accordingly.

Noting how competitors have already introduced generative tools, AI-powered features for the iPhone could also likely help users summarize and compose emails or call up information on the device’s screen with a finger gesture. It would also adapt automatically and continuously, based on voice, audio and natural language, along with images and contextual signals.

“Generative AI will enable the next generations of iPhones to become a sixth sense, empowering us to scan and interact with the world around us,” Thomas Husson, an analyst at market research firm Forrester, told CNN.

This could also mean changes for Apple’s entire ecosystem, incorporating AI into its own apps like Apple Maps, iMovie, and iPhoto. Some analysts expect Apple to release tools for app developers and creators to create new experiences.

Reece Hayden, senior analyst at ABI Research, said he expects demonstrations during the event to highlight where on-device AI brings additional value. He also believes Apple will spend time outlining its long-term vision.

“AI will be increasingly central to Apple’s entire strategic focus, so it will highlight the R&D efforts for the future, the expected investment and acquisitions the company has made to support its proposition,” he said.

A strategic partnership

Months ago, Apple was reportedly discussing partnership opportunities with OpenAI and Google to power its AI tools. But the company is now believed to have reached an agreement with the creator of ChatGPT, according to Bloomberg. This partnership Apple can detail during the opening keynote address on Monday.

“If OpenAI is responsible for powering Apple’s AI capabilities, I would expect a formal partnership announcement as consumers and businesses want to understand the regulation and rules and what they are signing up for and how their data is being used,” Hayden said.

While the partnership could give the company a much-needed innovation boost, it could also undermine Apple’s control over product development and rules and regulations around data collection and privacy, Hayden said.

Aligning itself with a company and technology that has not yet gained the public’s trust could pose some risks for Apple in the future. OpenAI continues to face criticism over some of its practices. This week, a group of current and former OpenAI employees demanded that artificial intelligence companies be much more transparent about the “serious risks” of AI — and that they protect employees who express concerns about the technology they are building.

The group called on AI companies to foster “a culture of open criticism” that welcomes, rather than punishes, people who speak out about their concerns, especially as regulation struggles to keep up with the rapidly evolving technology.

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Focus on privacy and security

Apple has long focused on consumer privacy and security, and that will likely be reflected in Monday’s announcements as well.

Companies have recognized the serious risks posed by AI — from manipulation and the spread of misinformation to a loss of control that could potentially result in human extinction. Many AI researchers and workers have expressed the need to better educate the public about risks and protective measures.

Apple will need to address how using this type of technology will impact consumers.

Vision Pro Update

Apple will likely provide an update on its Vision Pro mixed reality headset, which was announced a year ago this week and released for purchase in February.

During the most recent earnings call, CEO Tim Cook said that more than half of Fortune 100 companies have already purchased an Apple Vision Pro.”[Estamos] exploring innovative ways to use it to do things that weren’t possible before,” he added.

Generative AI could potentially take the headset to another level of personalization and immersion and open up new use cases for businesses, especially in the education and medical spaces.

Tuong Nygugen, director analyst at market research firm Gartner, said any company interested in headsets “has to be thinking about [IA]” across all of its product lines.

“Nobody really knows what a winner is yet, so they’re bringing together all these use cases now, focusing on enterprises, and making a case for why this is the future of experiences and devices,” he said.

Updates could also increase sales of the expensive Vision Pro, which starts at US$3,499 (about R$18,500). Demand for Apple’s new headset has been weak, according to reports.

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