The iPhone maker’s artificial intelligence tools, which will be released under the “Apple Intelligence” brand, include a turbo-charged version of its voice assistant Siri, powered by a partnership with ChatGPT owner OpenAI.
Apple isn’t the first smartphone maker to introduce artificial intelligence. The technology is already available in smartphones like Google’s latest Pixel and Samsung’s Galaxy series.
But the sheer volume of data that AI requires raises concerns about data privacy. Apple has built its reputation on privacy, and its advertising says, “Privacy. This is iPhone.” So this is one area where the company claims to be different.
What is Apple Intelligence?
Apple Intelligence is the overall name for the iPhone maker’s artificial intelligence capabilities, including the ChatGPT-4o integration that came with the iOS 18 software update.
The first iteration of iOS 18 will be released alongside Apple’s iPhone 16 models in September, but the AI features will arrive later, in the iOS 18.1 update expected in mid- to late October.
The first iOS 18.1 Apple Intelligence features in beta include new writing tools, suggested replies in the Messages app, email digest, and phone call transcription.
Other features coming later this year or early 2025 include Image Playground (the ability to create your own animated images within apps) and custom emojis called Genmoji. Meanwhile, Apple’s much-anticipated AI improvements to its chatbot Siri include ChatGPT integration, richer language understanding, and deeper integration with individual apps. According to Apple, Siri will also be able to view your calendar, photos, and messages to better respond to texts — for example, you can ask when your mom’s plane is landing and Siri will figure it out based on recent texts and emails.
iPhone 15 and above
Apple Intelligence will be available globally, but the features will face significant delays in the EU and China due to regulatory requirements.
Because AI requires powerful hardware, the features won’t be compatible with older devices. According to Apple, you’ll need an iPhone 15 or later, or an Apple device that uses an M1 or M2 chip, to access all the features.
Siri will direct ChatGTP to topics it has difficulty with
Apple will use ChatGPT as a backup and to power features it can’t manage itself. You’ll ask Siri the question, but if Apple’s chatbot can’t answer more complex requests, it’ll pass the baton to ChatGPT.
The same goes for text generation and image creation. Apple Intelligence offers those capabilities, while ChatGPT can type letters and create images from scratch, which Apple isn’t that good at yet.
The key difference between the app on your iPhone and ChatGPT is how your data is processed. “When you use ChatGPT directly, your queries go directly to OpenAI’s servers, there’s no middleman.” But when you use Siri’s ChatGPT integration, it acts as Apple’s “privacy-focused intermediary.”
Users will be able to access GPT-4o-powered Siri for free without creating an account, and ChatGPT subscribers will be able to link their accounts.
AI requires a lot of information to work, and Apple needs access to more of your data to power those features.
You have to turn on Apple Intelligence in Settings, so whether you’re concerned about data privacy or have doubts about the accuracy or usefulness of these features, you don’t have to use them.
