Apple is widely expected to announce new AI features for the iPhone this year at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10th.
According to Mark Garman of Bloomberg, these features will likely be “on-device” (i.e., work without an internet connection), which means Apple's large language model (similar to ChatGPT) will be cloud-based. This means that no processing is used.
AI could be added to everything from Siri search to messaging apps. These new features will be part of Apple's new iOS 18. Garman suggests there may also be cloud-based capabilities leveraging other of his AI chatbots, perhaps Google's Gemini.
Why would Apple add AI to its phones?
Apple has lagged behind competitors like Google and Samsung, which have added AI-powered features to their flagship smartphones this year.
Investors have been watching for updates on Apple's artificial intelligence developments, but the company has so far said little about incorporating AI technology into its devices.
Apple's smartphone shipments, which lost the title of the world's most valuable company to Microsoft in recent months, have been hit by increased competition from Android smartphone makers (including Samsung) vying for the top spot, leading to a 2024 increase in smartphone shipments. It was announced that sales decreased by approximately 10% in the quarter. Based on data from research company IDC.
Why is “local” AI important?
Apple protects your privacy by keeping its own tools on your device. Apple has traditionally kept many features on the iPhone.
Running local AI means user data never leaves the device, making it more secure and private, as well as reducing vulnerability to weak internet connections.
However, Garman's report suggests that other AI tools on the device will be provided by another generative AI provider (likely Google) and will be cloud-based.
What features will the iPhone have?
Rumor has it that Apple plans to add AI capabilities to Siri, Safari, Apple Music, Messages, Pages, Keynote, and even the Spotlight search feature.
Bloomberg's Garman previously suggested that AI would allow Siri to answer more complex queries and autocomplete messages in the Messages app.
Phones like Google's Pixel 8 and Samsung's S24 have focused heavily on AI features this year, and their features tend to be broadly similar.
Both Pixel 8 and S24 offer AI-generated wallpapers, AI note-taking and summarization, and AI image enhancement for photos.
Both phones allow users to quickly summarize web pages using AI.
When does this happen?
The new iOS 18 is scheduled to be announced at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), which will be held from June 10th to 14th this year.
