With the next wave of software updates, Apple will introduce its own AI smarts – known as Apple Intelligence – to iPhone, iPad and Mac, as well as to OpenAIs newly announced ChatGPT model. The decision led to a wave of controversial messages from SpaceX CEO Elon Muskequivalent to a recent outburst surrounding Windows 11’s AI tricks.
A few hours after CEO Tim Cook kicked off Apple’s annual developer conference, known as WWDC, at Apple Park headquarters in California, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi spoke to reporters about the decision to partner with OpenAI.
When Apple’s own Apple Intelligence models can’t handle a specific spoken (or typed) request, it will suggest sending the information from OpenAI to ChatGPT-4o. If you give permission to share the information with ChatGPT (it will be deleted when the request is processed), it can process the task within the same Siri window
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“We wanted to start with the best – and we think OpenAI’s ChatGPT and their new 4o model is the best choice for our users today,” the Apple executive told a packed audience at the Steve Jobs Theater.
All the usual ChatGPT tricks are accessible via voice assistant Siri, so you can list ingredients and ask the generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) model to come up with a recipe, or create an itinerary for an upcoming vacation, or write computer code from a short prompt . None of these actions are currently possible with Apple Intelligence, so the company is happy to let OpenAI step in.
When asked if Apple would like to work with more AI companies in the future, software chief Craig Federighi believes more AI models will be integrated soon. He said: “We think people will ultimately have a preference for certain models they want to use – perhaps one that’s great for creative writing, or one they prefer for coding, and so we want to enable users to ultimately choose the model of their choice and we look forward to doing integrations with models like Google Gemini in the future. There is nothing to announce at this time, but that is our direction.”
While Apple Intelligence handles a slew of everyday tasks on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, as it is the only AI model that can tap into the vast amount of data stored on your device, to learn more about you.
Instead of pulling information from the Internet, Apple Intelligence is designed to pull context from applications like Calendar, Mail, and Messages. This information is used to add context, so if you reference your spouse or sibling in your request, Apple Intelligence checks your contacts and other corners of iOS to determine who you’re talking about.
Apple Intelligence will also form the backbone of a powerful new version of Siri.
Built into every iPhone since October 2011, the chatty assistant can now adjust system settings, bring together information from multiple apps, and perform actions within iOS apps. Apple Intelligence is trained on a range of training data.
Describing how the Californian company approached building its own AI model, Craig Federighi said: “We do that in a way where publishers can opt out of having their work data used in training models. In addition, we license news archives, textbooks, stock photography and all of that is in these models.”
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In the future, we could see AI models trained on data about specific topics – with deep knowledge about the legal system, finance, medicine or whatever. Siri could tap into these systems, much like ChatGPT, to provide a specific response.
Apple CEO Tim Cook welcomes developers from around the world to the stage at his annual WWDC event at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California
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Google Gemini is not one of these ultra-specific models, but is a universal assistant that can compete with the likes of ChatGPT. The American search company launched Gemini as a standalone app on Android in the UK earlier this year.
Gemini can come up with Excel formulas, computer code, poetry and prose based on a short written assignment.
It can summarize and find information from Gmail or Google Drive. Like the new Image Playground system powered by Apple Intelligence, Gemini can generate brand new images on the fly.
Google fans living in the United States have been able to download a special Gemini app since February. For comparison, ChatGPT has been available as an app on iPhone and Android in both countries since mid-2023.