Apple to bring generative AI to iPhone 16 with iOS 18; Details

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing technology, and all major technology companies are trying to incorporate it into their product suites. Surprisingly, Apple has yet to enter the race despite having many products, such as the iPhone and iPad, which could take advantage of this booming technology. However, that could soon change as reports claim that the Cupertino-based tech giant is set to bring generative AI to the iPhone 16 starting with iOS 18.

iOS 18 to get generative AI

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman stated that Apple is ready to bring generative AI to the iPhone 16 with iOS 18 and is taking cautious steps to catch up with Google, Microsoft and others. The tech giant even stopped work on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and other updates to maintain quality control after many flaws were detected in the code. Engineers have reportedly been tasked with fixing all the issues before working on new features for the next major version of the software.

According to Gurman, this extra step is because the iPhone 16, which is not expected to arrive until next year, will reportedly skip any innovative features. Therefore, Apple's entire marketing strategy could depend on its next operating system for the iPhone, iOS 18.

The company's top management reportedly called upcoming software updates for Apple devices "ambitious and compelling" and are expected to bring significant features, design changes, security improvements, and performance improvements.

AI Steps

Gurman reported that Apple's AI efforts would be led by two senior vice presidents: John Giannandrea and Craig Federighi. Both vice presidents are being called "executive sponsors" of the AI push, while Eddie Cue, Apple's chief services officer, has also gotten involved.

While Giannandrea's team is developing an AI system and using Siri to implement it, Federighi's team is actively trying to incorporate generative AI features into iOS 18. The report further states that this addition could improve several iOS features, namely Siri and Messages, where apps could autocomplete sentences and answer questions.