Apple Intelligence: Your Guide to Apple's New AI

The artificial intelligence market is expected to reach a global value of more than 800 billion US dollars by 2030, which puts it at the centre of all major technological developments over the next few years. Known for their constant innovation, Apple is one company that is heavily investing in generative AI technology with their latest update: Apple Artificial Intelligence.

This new platform was announced by Tim Cook at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024, an annual event that showcases new Apple software platforms and technologies, including iPhone and Apple Watch developments, along with the upgraded iPad and Mac models.

Featuring everything from enhanced Siri features and a richer language understanding to ChatGPT integration, find out everything you need to know about Apple Intelligence ahead of its 2025 worldwide launch.

What is Apple Intelligence?

Apple Intelligence is an artificial intelligence platform built into a range of new Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, and Mac devices that operate on the iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and MacOS Sequoia systems.

Harnessing the power of generative AI and the ever-growing popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT, this platform builds on Apple's current AI features, such as Siri, with tools that encourage improved writing, generate images, and even allow users to create personalised emojis.

This groundbreaking system runs on Apple silicon chipsets and processors that draw on larger server-based software platforms to handle more complex requests.

As part of the development, Apple Intelligence also puts a huge focus on user privacy. Apple's AI vision is designed with security in mind at every step thanks to Private Cloud Compute, which is integrated into the core of your phone, tablet, or laptop through on-device and server processing.

With a verifiable privacy promise and end-to-end encryption, this therefore makes the system aware of your personal information without ever storing any training data.

Apple Intelligence Features

By drawing on personal context, Apple Intelligence provides new ways for users to better utilise functions of their favourite Apple devices, while also boosting productivity.

Along with the Private Cloud Compute security platform, here's what you can expect from the all-new Apple Intelligence features:

Writing Tools

One of the key features of Apple Intelligence is the enhanced language capabilities it offers for your device. Designed to support focus and communication, these capabilities are available nearly everywhere you write, including both Apple and third-party apps.

For instance, thanks to the software's richer language understanding, users can summarise a lecture, email, audio recording, transcript, or selected text in seconds with just one tap. View round-ups of emails in the Mail app or directly from your inbox, and get to the most important information in just a glance.

With Smart Reply, Apple Intelligence will analyse emails you've received to identify any questions asked, before offering relevant answers to include in your response. The software can also create quick replies that address all key points, proofread your drafts, and rewrite different versions to achieve the right tone and wording.

Priority Notifications

Reduce Interruptions is an all-new focus feature that summarises all of your notifications, allowing you to read them more quickly. This key Apple Intelligence function highlights the notifications that need your attention immediately, such as messages or missed phone calls about childcare, and puts them at the top of the stack to minimise unnecessary distractions.

Apple Intelligence also puts time-sensitive messages at the top of your Mail inbox, such as check-in reminders and invitations with upcoming deadlines.

Images

As well as productivity, Apple Intelligence features also offer new ways to express yourself visually, particularly through Image Playground. This allows users to produce original images to share with friends, which can be based simply on a description, a suggested concept, or a person from your Photos library.

Once created, you can adjust the style and experiment with different concepts so that it matches your chosen text, through the Image Playground app. Use animation and illustration to create a cohesive theme with your image and a Keynote slide, Freeform board, or Messages thread, for example.

Other new multimedia features that come with Apple's latest launch include:

• Genmoji: Make an emoji with the same physical characteristics as you to match any conversation, or select a photo of someone else from your library and generate a matching Genmoji. Simply provide a short description and Apple Intelligence will create a preview, allowing you to make adjustments until the Genmoji is perfect.
• Image Wand: Draw a circle around any sketch using your finger or an Apple Pencil and the Image Wand will produce a related picture that complements your creation in the Notes app. Alternatively, circle an empty space on a Note and this feature will use any surrounding text and context to create a matching image.
• Memory Movie: Enter your description, such as "Delicious meals I ate in June" and Apple Intelligence searches through your camera roll to find the ideal photos and videos. It will then arrange these into a movie with its own unique storyline, complete with chapters and set to music of your choice.
• Image Search: Gone are the days of scrolling for hours to find those photos and videos you're looking for. Instead, provide a short search description and Apple Intelligence will take you straight to it. The AI can also identify specific moments from video clips.
• Clean Up Tool: Apple Intelligence will identify any unwanted background objects and allow you to remove them with just a tap, so you can eliminate distractions from your photos and create the perfect images.

How is Apple Intelligence Changing Siri?

As Apple's signature digital assistant, Siri uses voice queries to perform everything from answering questions to searching the internet and scheduling reminders. With the all-new AI features, Siri will receive plenty of updates to expand its functionality and make communication easier and more natural than before.

Siri now considers personal context more closely, has even more product knowledge about your device's features and settings, and can take action in and across apps. Read on for an even more in-depth look at some of these new features:

ChatGPT

A key element of the all-new Apple Intelligence features is the integration of OpenAI's ChatGPT into Apple's various software platforms, which can answer a wide range of user questions.

For example, if you're looking for some meal ideas using only the items left in your fridge, Siri will feed the information into ChatGPT to generate a variety of delicious dinner options. You can also add photos and documents to get an even more detailed answer for your queries.

Plus, there's no need to create a ChatGPT account; access the artificial intelligence software for free, or connect your account to access more paid features.

Product Knowledge

Unsure of how to use any features on your device? Thanks to Apple Intelligence, Siri now has much more information on Apple's products and services that it can share with users. The digital assistant can therefore provide step-by-step instructions on scheduling text messages to send later, for example.

Personal Context Awareness

By using information available on your device, Siri now takes actions that are more personal to your needs and preferences. While continuing to protect privacy, the digital assistant can search any iPhone, iPad, or Mac to easily locate specific details, such as confirmation numbers on emails or that one missing step from a recipe sent via text message.

Siri also now has greater onscreen awareness, allowing it to take action based on what you're looking at on your device. If you receive a message from a friend with their new address, for instance, you can simply say "Siri, add this address to their contact card."

Enhanced Language Understanding

Siri operates on natural language processing, the driving piece of technology that allows machines to interpret and interact with human speech. Apple Intelligence has upgraded these NLP capabilities by ensuring that it can understand your requests even if you stumble slightly when speaking.

Users can also now speak to Siri via the keyboard rather than just voice command, which is ideal in situations where you'd rather not talk out loud.

Apple Intelligence Features: When Can I Use Them?

While Apple has been relatively slow to roll out its generative AI features, iPhone, iPad and Mac users with the iOS 18 system can expect to begin using them towards the end of 2024. 

However, the company is yet to confirm if Apple Intelligence will be expanded to cater to additional languages by 2025, or whether this platform will only be available in US English for the foreseeable future.

Either way, Apple Intelligence is supported by the following models:

• iPhone: 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
• iPad Pro: M1 and later
• iPad Air: M1 and later
• MacBook Air: M1 and later
• MacBook Pro: M1 and Later
• iMac: M1 and later
• Mac Mini: M1 and later
• Mac Studio: M1 Max and later
• Mac Pro: M2 Ultra