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Apple confirms generative AI features are coming to the iPhone very soon
- During the most recent earnings call with investors, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company is working on generative AI features for its platforms.
- Cook said that he will talk about these AI efforts “later this year.”
- Apple usually announces broader platform changes at WWDC alongside the release of developer previews of iOS, macOS, etc, and announces specific new features when the new iPhone launches later in the year.
AI is the next big thing, and we’ve already seen Google and Samsung incorporate AI in practical ways on the Pixel 8 series and Galaxy S24 series, respectively. Apple seems to be curiously missing from this race so far, but during a recent investor call, the company confirmed that it does not intend to stay behind with the iPhone.
During Apple’s quarterly earnings call yesterday, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company is working on generative AI features. Apple will be talking more about these generative AI features “later this year,” seemingly alongside the release of iOS 18.
Here’s what Cook said:
In terms of generative AI, which, I’d guess, is your focus, we have a lot of work going on internally as I’ve alluded to before. Our MO, if you will, has always been to do work and then talk about work and not to get out in front of ourselves. And so, we’re going to hold that to this as well. But we’ve got some things that we are incredibly excited about that we’ll be talking about later this year.
Cook did not offer further details on Apple’s use of AI, not even disclosing which devices or platforms it will come to. But we’ve seen from rumors and leaks over the past few weeks what shape it could take. The iPhone will likely be at the center of Apple’s AI efforts.
Code in iOS 17.4 suggests Siri will be able to use AI for summarization, smart reply suggestions in Messages, and use AI across apps like Apple Music, Pages, and Keynote. Apple is also testing different AI models, some running on-device and some relying on the internet.
As to when we can expect iOS 18, WWDC 2024 would be a good bet. We expect the event to be held sometime in early June 2024, and Apple could detail some of the foundational work of incorporating AI into iOS and other Apple platforms. More consumer-facing features will likely be reserved for when the iPhone 16 gets announced sometime in September 2024.