Apple's announcement of AI features at WWDC 2024 last week was no surprise, but the actual surprise was how impressive the aptly-named Apple Intelligence sounds. Apple plans to launch AI-powered tools for iPhone, iPad, and Mac soon, but don't expect them in a September release just yet.
The exciting reveal of Apple Intelligence, combined with the company's collaboration with OpenAI, the developer of the best AI chatbot ChatGPT-4o, has us cautiously optimistic about the future of Apple and AI. However, while the iOS 18 developer beta is already a great update, it currently lacks any AI features in the testing phase.
According to a recent Power On newsletter from Mark Gurman, who accurately detailed the iOS 18 AI features before WWDC, Apple plans to launch some major Apple Intelligence features in 2025. Despite the spotlight on these upcoming tools, you may not be able to test some of the most anticipated AI features on your iPhone just yet.
Gurman's report suggests that Apple Intelligence features will be available for testing "later this summer" in upcoming developer betas. However, this likely won't include many of the changes to Siri, which we're most excited about with Apple Intelligence. These include Siri's ability to find things on your device with context, control your device and apps, and its on-screen awareness.
Additionally, it seems that the new Mail features and Swift Assist, a programming companion for Apple's Xcode software, may also miss the iOS 18 release date and launch later in 2024.
Fortunately, the reasons behind the delay appear to be positive. Gurman believes that Apple is keen to avoid any mistakes and is pacing out features for thorough testing. Given that Microsoft pulled its Recall feature before launch to avoid issues, it's sensible for Apple to aim to prevent controversy.
Considering the problems with Google's AI summaries giving harmful snippets, Copilot creating dangerous images, and AI like Replika potentially learning negative traits, it's no surprise that Apple wants to ensure it gets Apple Intelligence right. Although, we wish we didn't have to wait either.
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