Apple’s WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2024 kicked off yesterday with a flurry of groundbreaking announcements, solidifying the tech giant’s renewed commitment to artificial intelligence.
For years, Apple has lagged behind its competitors in the AI race, but this year’s keynote showcased a robust suite of AI-driven features and tools that promise to reshape the user experience across its ecosystem.
At the heart of Apple’s AI push is the introduction of “Apple Intelligence,” a new generative AI framework that powers a host of new capabilities across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Here are the standout announcements from the event.
Siri’s AI Overhaul
Siri has been revamped with significant enhancements thanks to Apple Intelligence. The digital assistant now sports a new look with a glowing indicator light around the edges of devices’ screens. More importantly, Siri can better handle speech stumbles and understand context. Users can now type queries to Siri and receive answers on how to use their iPhones, iPads, or Macs.
During the keynote, Apple demonstrated Siri’s new ability to perform complex tasks across apps. For instance, Siri can find a photo of your driver’s license, extract the ID number, and enter it into a web form. These capabilities will be available on the iPhone 15 Pro and devices with M1 or newer chips.
ChatGPT Integration
In a surprising move, Apple announced a partnership with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to its devices. This integration will be available in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia later this year. Users will be able to create content, including images, and refine their ideas using ChatGPT, all without needing to create a separate OpenAI account.
Genmoji and Image Playground
Apple introduced Genmoji, an AI-powered feature that lets users create personalized emoji-like images from their photo libraries. This feature can be used to react to messages or personalize conversations. Additionally, a new Image Playground app allows users to generate custom images using themes, costumes, accessories, and more. These features will roll out with iOS 18 on devices supporting Apple Intelligence.
AI Photo Editing
The upgraded Photos app now includes a Clean Up tool, which uses AI to remove unwanted objects or people from photos. By simply circling or highlighting the element to be removed, Clean Up replaces it with contextually-aware pixels, making it appear as though the object or person was never there. The Photos app also benefits from improved organization and search capabilities, automatically categorizing images by time, people, and more.
Transcribed Calls
In a nod to accessibility and convenience, Apple announced that iPhone 15 Pro and newer models will soon be able to record and transcribe phone calls. This feature will be optional and aims to help users keep track of important conversations.
Setting the Tone for the Future
Despite its reputation for having multiple overlapping operating systems, Apple has set a new standard for consumer-friendly AI integration across its devices. From desktop to mobile, Apple’s latest AI advancements showcase its vision for intelligent, intuitive user experiences.
As the WWDC 2024 continues, the tech world eagerly awaits further developments. Apple’s bold steps in AI signal a new era for the company, and all eyes are now on Microsoft and other competitors to see how they will respond.
For more updates on Apple’s latest innovations, stay tuned to our WWDC 2024 coverage.
