Apple Inc. unveiled new artificial intelligence features, including a collaboration with ChatGPT creator OpenAI, banking on a personalized, subtle approach to attract customers.
The centerpiece of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday was Apple Intelligence, a new AI platform. This technology will help summarize text, generate original images, and provide relevant data when needed. The update also includes an enhanced version of Siri, Apple’s digital assistant.
Apple is making a significant effort to catch up in the fast-growing AI market. Lagging behind competitors like Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Microsoft Corp., Apple hopes a streamlined interface and loyal customer base will help regain its position.
“This is a moment we’ve been working toward for a long time,” Senior Vice President Craig Federighi, in charge of software engineering, stated at the event. He called Apple Intelligence “AI for the rest of us,” referencing an old Mac slogan.
The partnership with OpenAI, previously reported by Bloomberg, allows users to access ChatGPT via Siri at no extra cost. Apple Intelligence will start rolling out later this year, though some features, such as Siri’s enhanced app control, will debut next year. Support for languages beyond English will also come later.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attended Monday’s event, expressing his satisfaction with the partnership on social media platform X. While ChatGPT integration will be free, OpenAI subscribers will receive additional features over time. Apple, also in talks with Google about using its Gemini feature, plans to support other services in the future.
Ensuring data security was a key theme of the presentation. A system named Private Cloud Compute will safeguard user data during transmission to data centers, Federighi said. Apple Intelligence will also introduce an AI-generated emoji called Genmoji and automated photo editing.
Apple’s iOS 18 and iPadOS – software for iPhone and iPad – will include features enhancing customization, productivity, and communication. Some updates are:
- An upgraded home screen allows users to place icons anywhere, change app icon colors, and tint them in dark mode.
- A new Control Center with support for third-party controls, multiple settings pages, and a refreshed look.
- The iPhone 14 and newer models will support satellite text messaging, previously available only in emergencies.
- The Messages app will allow scheduled texts and Tapbacks will now work with emojis or digital stickers.
- Users can set effects for individual words or phrases, and rich text support will ease communication between Apple and Android users.
- A Password app will manage secure logins, passkeys, and Wi-Fi details.
- A redesigned Photos app with AI-driven editing improvements.
- The ability to lock any app with Face ID.
- The iPad will get a Calculator app for the first time, supporting handwritten math equation solving with an Apple Pencil, a long-requested feature announced to applause.
Investors reacted coolly to the event, a common occurrence when Apple introduced long-anticipated features.
Shares dropped nearly 2% to $193.12 in New York, leaving the stock mostly unchanged for the year.
The Cupertino, California-based company also introduced macOS Sequoia, incorporating the same Apple Intelligence features as the iPad and iPhone.
Additional enhancements include:
- Receiving and interacting with iPhone notifications.
- Dragging and dropping files between devices.
- Mirroring an iPhone’s display on a Mac’s screen.
- Organizing Mac application windows as tiles on the display.
The company also debuted VisionOS 2, the latest software for the Vision Pro headset, with features for photos and office work, including:
- Turning regular photos into 3D spatial pictures.
- New hand gestures for opening Home View and Control Center.
- An updated Mac Virtual Display feature creating a virtual wraparound screen.
- AirPlay content from iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the Vision Pro.
Apple announced plans to launch Vision Pro internationally, with preorders beginning June 13 in China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore. Sales start June 28. Preorders in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK begin June 28, with sales starting July 12.
New AirPods software will enhance call clarity by removing background noise, and the Apple Watch will gain additional health features like enhanced pregnancy tracking and vital statistics display.
However, the AI features were the main focus of the event. These tools will also include capabilities like transcribing phone calls and voice memos, solving advanced math equations, sorting emails, and prioritizing notifications.
Despite launching Siri in 2011, Apple quickly fell behind Google Assistant and Amazon.com Inc.’s Alexa. The AI landscape shifted dramatically with OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022, sparking a surge in new services from Google, Microsoft, Meta Platforms Inc., and Samsung Electronics Co.
Apple CEO Tim Cook faces pressure to reestablish leadership. The company is also grappling with a broader sales decline, with revenue dropping in five of the last six quarters amid weak smartphone demand and a slowdown in China.
On Monday, Cook stated AI will be “the next big step for Apple.” Though the new features won’t directly generate revenue, they aim to boost user loyalty and encourage more frequent upgrades.
“We think Apple Intelligence is going to be indispensable to the products that already play such an integral role in our lives,” he said.