Apple has just unveiled the first glimpse of its highly anticipated artificial intelligence capabilities known as Apple Intelligence. This groundbreaking suite, revealed on Monday, enhances Siri, automates the creation of emails and images, and cleverly organizes notifications.
Launching under a developer beta for iOS 18.1, this iteration of Apple Intelligence is also being rolled out for iPad and Mac platforms. Access is exclusive to Apple developers who are part of the $99 annual subscription program.
To experience this service, subscribers must join a waitlist via the Apple settings app post-update, a process which includes connecting with Apple’s servers for processing complex inquiries.
The public release is slated for later in the year, though the 18.1 version implies it won’t debut with the new iPhone hardware expected this fall equipped with iOS 18.
Apple Intelligence is a key project for Apple, with investors anticipating that this deep AI integration into Apple’s ecosystem will drive a surge in upgrades. However, it’s important to note that the technology will only be compatible with iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and their successors.
Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan expressed optimism about the ongoing iPhone cycle’s robustness due to the AI’s potential advancements in software and perhaps hardware by 2025.
What’s Included and What’s Not
Not all features showcased at Apple’s developer conference in June made it into this preview. The Monday release highlighted:
- A revamped Siri interface that illuminates the phone’s edge
- Enhanced Siri capabilities, enabling it to comprehend mispronounced commands
- Siri’s new function to answer Apple product-related troubleshooting queries
- Improvements in photo searches and movie compilation
- AI-driven summaries for Mail, Messages, and voicemail transcripts
- Writing Tools, marking Apple’s venture into text generation services
Yet, several advertised features are yet to be included in this early iteration, with Apple promising their rollout over the coming year:
- Image and emoji creation
- Automated photo enhancement
- Additional Siri upgrades, particularly those involving personal data usage and app interaction
- Integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT