WWDC 2024: Apple Intelligence is a New AI Era for Apple Devices

The long-anticipated moment has arrived: Apple has officially stepped into the AI realm with the introduction of Apple Intelligence. At WWDC 2024, Apple revealed its plan to integrate AI into iPhones and Macs, enhancing these devices' ability to understand and generate languages and images. According to Apple, Apple Intelligence will handle complex commands, such as locating images of a specific person from a particular day. Craig Federighi, Apple's executive, aptly described it as "Apple Intelligence, AI for the rest of us," emphasizing the unique accessibility Apple aims to provide. This cutting-edge feature will be free for users and compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro, iPad, and Macs with M1 chips or later versions.

Apple's approach to AI prioritizes user privacy, ensuring users have full control over their data. Apple claims that requests made to Apple Intelligence will first be processed on the device before resorting to the cloud if necessary. Federighi introduced the concept of Private Cloud Compute, where the cloud remains cryptographically locked to the user's device, operating only when the software is verified.

Now, let's explore the exciting innovations brought by Apple Intelligence:

One of the most significant upgrades involves Siri. This year, Apple declares, marks a new era for Siri, making it more natural, relevant, and personal. Activating Siri will now produce a glowing light effect around the screen's corners, reminiscent of Android notifications. Despite these enhancements, Siri retains its familiar voice.

A standout feature is Siri's ability to find a photo of your driver's license, extract the ID number, and autofill it into a web form. This convenience exemplifies the practical applications of Apple Intelligence.

In addition to these improvements, Apple Intelligence introduced the Rewrite writing tool, which assists users in crafting cover letters and resumes and even making work emails sound friendlier. However, this raises the question: do we want our work emails to be overly friendly?

Another intriguing addition is the Smart Reply feature. According to Apple's presentation, it will identify questions posed in an email, draft responses, and write the email for you. This functionality seems to offer more streamlined writing assistance, similar to tools like Grammarly.

In a move reminiscent of Google's magic eraser, Apple has integrated a cleanup tool into the Photos app. This feature allows users to remove distracting objects from photo backgrounds. The search functionality within Photos will also be enhanced by Apple Intelligence, supporting natural language search and the ability to locate specific moments within video clips.

Furthermore, Apple Intelligence introduced a feature where users can describe the type of video they want, and the app will create a clip using their photos and videos. Apple assures that all processing occurs on the device, keeping users' photos and videos private, even from Apple.

Another noteworthy feature is on-device audio transcription and summarization, which can be a boon for those who conduct numerous interviews or need to take meeting minutes.

As for the availability of these features, Federighi confirmed that Apple Intelligence would be "available for free." It will be accessible on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPad, and Macs with M1 chips or newer models.

In a surprising revelation, Apple announced the integration of ChatGPT-4o into Siri. This collaboration answers the speculation surrounding Tim Cook and Sam Altman's recent meeting. Federighi stated, "We're starting with the best of these external models," suggesting the possibility of future AI chatbot integrations, including the rumoured Gemini.

ChatGPT will be available for free, without requiring users to create an account, and Apple will not log requests or information. Paid users will also enjoy these features. This integration is set to launch for iPhones later this year, likely following the release of the iPhone 16.

WWDC 2024 has indeed marked the beginning of an exciting journey for Apple and its users, as Apple Intelligence promises to redefine how we interact with technology through advanced AI capabilities.