The resounding success of ChatGPT last year took everyone by surprise. This has left many technology companies scrambling to quickly integrate their own approach to artificial intelligence into their best-selling products. Apple has been a bit slow in this area. However CEO Tim Cook has promised that the company will “break new ground in generative AI” this year. So let's look at the artificial intelligence that will be in iOS 18 and beyond.
Apple prepares “bomb” artificial intelligence for iOS 18!
While the specifics of the “what” are understandably under wraps, we already know a little more about the “how.” Apple reportedly purchased more than 30 AI startups in 2023. It appears to continue this trend in 2024 with the acquisition of Canadian company DarwinAI.
According to Bloomberg, which revealed the purchase, while DarwinAI is responsible for the technology that visually inspects components in manufacturing, Apple may be more interested in its work to make AI systems “smaller and faster”.
The report adds that the purchase was completed earlier this year. However, although Apple has not confirmed or denied the report, the company acknowledged to Bloomberg that it “buys smaller technology companies from time to time.” Even more revealing is the fact that DarwinAI has disappeared from the Internet. Also the fact that founder Alexander Wong's LinkedIn profile indicates him as “director of machine learning research” at Apple in January.
We should see the first fruits of Apple's turn to artificial intelligence within a few months, at WWDC 2024. The Worldwide Developers Conference is typically when Apple releases betas of its latest versions of the operating system.
The first rumors suggest the possibility of Siri summarizing content and answering questions in a ChatGPT style, as well as the integration of AI with iMessage and even AppleCare. Developers attending WWDC may be especially interested in the generative AI tool for creating applications.
While Apple tends to make new versions of iOS compatible with a commendable number of older devices, it's likely that some of the iPhone's upcoming AI features will be exclusive to the iPhone 16 when it arrives.