Apple Intelligence: A Comprehensive Look at Apple's AI Strategy and Rollout

What is Apple Intelligence, when is it coming and who will get it? | TechCrunch

After months of speculation, Apple Intelligence took center stage at WWDC 2024 in June. The platform was announced in the wake of a torrent of generative AI news from companies like Google and Open AI, causing concern that the famously tight-lipped tech giant had missed the boat on the latest tech craze. Contrary to such speculation, however, Apple had a team in place, working on what proved to be a very Apple approach to artificial intelligence. There was still pizzazz amid the demos -- Apple always loves to put on a show -- but Apple Intelligence is ultimately a very pragmatic take on the category. Apple Intelligence (yes, AI for short) isn't a standalone feature. Rather, it's about integrating into existing offerings. While it is a branding exercise in a very real sense, the large language model (LLM) driven technology will operate behind the scenes. As far as the consumer is concerned, the technology will mostly present itself in the form of new features for existing apps. We learned more during the Apple's iPhone 16 event, which was held on September 9. During the event, Apple touted a number of AI-powered features coming to their devices, from translation on the Apple Watch Series 10, visual search on iPhones and a number of tweaks to Siri's capabilities. The first wave of Apple Intelligence is arriving at the end of October, as part of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. A second wave of features are available as part of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2 developer betas. The features launched first in U.S. English. Apple has since added Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, South African, and U.K. English localizations. Support for Chinese, English (India), English (Singapore), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese will arrive in 2025. Notably, users in both China and the EU may not get any access to Apple Intelligence features, owing to regulatory hurdles. Cupertino marketing executives have branded Apple Intelligence: "AI for the rest of us." The platform is designed to leverage the things that generative AI already does well, like text and image generation, to improve upon existing features. Like other platforms including ChatGPT and Google Gemini, Apple Intelligence was trained on large information models. These systems use deep learning to form connections, whether it be text, images, video or music. The text offering, powered by LLM, presents itself as Writing Tools. The feature is available across various Apple apps, including Mail, Messages, Pages and Notifications. It can be used to provide summaries of long text, proofread and even write messages for you, using content and tone prompts. Image generation has been integrated as well, in similar fashion -- albeit a bit less seamlessly. Users can prompt Apple Intelligence to generate custom emojis (Genmojis) in an Apple house style. Image Playground, meanwhile, is a standalone image generation app that utilizes prompts to create visual content than can be used in Messages, Keynote or shared via social media. Apple Intelligence also marks a long-awaited face-lift for Siri. The smart assistant was early to the game, but has mostly been neglected for the past several years. Siri is integrated much more deeply into Apple's operating systems; for instance, instead of the familiar icon, users will see a glowing light around the edge of their iPhone screen when it's doing its thing. More important, new Siri works across apps. That means, for example, that you can ask Siri to edit a photo and then insert it directly into a text message. It's a frictionless experience the assistant had previously lacked. Onscreen awareness means Siri uses the context of the content you're currently engaged with to provide an appropriate answer. The first wave of Apple Intelligence arrives in October via iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18., and macOS Sequoia 15.1 updates. These include integrated writing tools, image cleanup, article summaries, and a typing input for the redesigned Siri experience. Many remaining features will be added with the forthcoming release of of October, as part of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. A second wave of features are available as part of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2. That list includes, Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence, Image Wand, and ChatGPT integration. The offering will be free to use, so long as you have one of the following pieces of hardware: Notably, only the Pro versions of the iPhone 15 are getting access, owing to shortcomings on the standard model's chipset. Presumably, however, the whole iPhone 16 line will be able to run Apple Intelligence when it arrives. Apple has taken a small-model, bespoke approach to training. Rather than relying on the kind of kitchen sink approach that fuels platforms like GPT and Gemini, the company has compiled datasets in-house for specific tasks like, say, composing an email. The biggest benefit of this approach is that many of these tasks become far less resource intensive and can be performed on-device. That doesn't apply to everything, however. More complex queries will utilize the new Private Cloud Compute offering. The company now operates remote servers running on Apple Silicon, which it claims allows it to offer the same level of privacy as its consumer devices. Whether an action is being performed locally or via the cloud will be invisible to the user, unless their device is offline, at which point remote queries will toss up an error. A lot was made about Apple's pending partnership with OpenAI ahead of WWDC. Ultimately, however, it turned out that the deal was less about powering Apple Intelligence and more about offering an alternative platform for those things it's not really built for. It's a tacit acknowledgement that building a small-model system has its limitation. Apple Intelligence is free. So, too, is access to ChatGPT. However, those with paid accounts to the latter will have access to premium features free users don't, including unlimited queries. ChatGPT integration, which debuts on iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, has two primary roles: supplementing Siri's knowledge base and adding to the existing Writing Tools options. With the service enabled, certain questions will prompt the new Siri to ask the user to approve its accessing ChatGPT. Recipes and travel planning are examples of questions that may surface the option. Users can also directly prompt Siri to "ask ChatGPT." Compose is the other primary ChatGPT feature available through Apple Intelligence. Users can access it in any app that supports the new Writing Tools feature. Compose adds the ability to write content based on a prompt. That joins existing writing tools like Style and Summary. We know for sure that Apple plans to partner with additional generative AI services. The company all but said that Google Gemini is next on that list.

Siri to Finally Get Apple Intelligence Upgrade Next Week

OpenAI and Apple have officially rolled out the ChatGPT integration for iPhones, which is now available for early developer access in the iOS 18.2 beta. This comes after the two heavyweights announced their partnership earlier this year. The slew of Apple Intelligence features, including its long-awaited ChatGPT integration, will eventually be available for iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro, and Pro Max. The launch is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on October 30th, with features expected to be fully available by 2025 through a phased rollout. Early access for developers and the demos are already all over the internet. The Apple Intelligence features include: Genmoji, Magic Wand, and the much-awaited ChatGPT integration into Siri. People also compared Apple Visual Intelligence with Google. Apple's AI features mostly rely on models that can run on-device. That's why there are certain requirements for running Apple Intelligence features. Only devices with at least an A17 Pro or M-series chipset and 8GB of memory are compatible with Apple Intelligence. "It's really wild how much they packed into the whole experience. Any one of these things would be a feature/product/startup on its own," said a user on X. With iOS 18.2, Apple Intelligence now supports English for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK, offering full features without switching to US English. Introduction of the M4 Chip Backed by AI. Apple's M4 chip, built exclusively for AI, boosts on-device privacy-focused processing power, enhancing tasks like image generation, language understanding, and Siri integration. iOS, macOS, iPadOS, iPad Pro and Macs will all have this chip. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and an internal study, Apple is at least two years behind in the AI race with current incumbents. He also noted that OpenAI's ChatGPT was 25% more accurate than Apple's Siri, and able to answer 30% more questions. The shift to AI is a big one, so Apple wants to get it right. "Apple's point of view is let's try to get each piece right and release it when it is ready. This isn't a one-and-done kind of situation, especially with Apple Intelligence," said Craig Federighi, the head of software at Apple, in an interview about how this is a decades-long arc of this technology playing out, with Apple going for a responsibility-first approach. Even Tim Cook reinforced this by saying that Apple's goal was to be the best. "We would rather come out with that kind of product and that kind of contribution to people versus running to get something out first. If we can do both, that's fantastic. But if we can only do one, there's no doubt around here. If you talk to 100 people, 100 of them will tell you: It's about being the best," he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "The real power of intelligence is the one that understands you,'' said Federighi about how Apple aims to bring in personalised features while also addressing privacy concerns. Interestingly, unlike other players in this space, Apple runs its AI model directly on devices or through its private, end-to-end encrypted cloud. Federighi maintains that building such a model is challenging, which is why not all cloud computing operates this way. In June, Apple introduced its on-device and server foundation models. Apple Intelligence's architecture is built on a Transformer-based model. The on-device model, containing ~3 billion parameters, uses quantization techniques to optimise speed and memory, while the larger, server-based model runs on Private Cloud Compute powered by Apple silicon for resource-intensive tasks. New Siri will be rolled out in phases. Siri, Apple's Intelligence Assistant, was launched 13 years ago. Apple claims that it processes 1.5 billion requests every day. Siri now has a 'glow light' when active. As per Federighi, while Siri is not fully sentient yet, it is continuing to evolve. Both companies announced their one-of-a-kind partnership in June. Federighi still believes that Siri is more powerful than OpenAI Advanced Voice Mode, but is hopeful about both these tools converging in the future. "The properties of something like OpenAI Advanced Voice Mode and Siri are quite different," said Federighi, emphasising on the different use cases of both the tools. He said that while OpenAI's Advanced Voice Mode can answer a question on quantum mechanics or write a poem about it, it won't help you send a text message. He added that Siri currently performs numerous useful tasks for users every day, efficiently and locally on their devices, but agreed that one day both tools could converge. Their research recently challenged LLM's reasoning capabilities. The paper argued that models like GPT-4 and o1 perform sophisticated pattern matching rather than genuine logical reasoning. The researchers tested models on newly developed benchmarks, such as GSM-Symbolic, finding that models' reasoning dropped by 30% when presented with irrelevant information, suggesting reliance on surface-level patterns.

Apple Intelligence could already be two years behind ChatGPT as Apple's AI gets ready for launch

Apple Intelligence isn't even available to the public yet, but a new report claims it's "at least [...] two years behind the industry leaders." In his most recent Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman wrote he'd been told about internal studies at Apple that show just how much ground Apple Intelligence needs to make up to get to ChatGPT's level. He wrote, "The research found that OpenAI's ChatGPT was 25% more accurate than Apple's Siri, and able to answer 30% more questions." That means according to the studies, ChatGPT is quite a bit better than Apple Intelligence's current form but considering Apple's delayed start it might not be too long until the company catches up. Gurman added, "In fact, some at Apple believe that its generative AI technology -- at least, so far -- is more than two years behind the industry leaders." Two years might sound like a long time, but if Apple's first-party AI tools are up to ChatGPT's standard by 2026, Apple devices will have incredibly competent AI capabilities. Considering how fast the AI industry is evolving, who knows what AI will be capable of in just two years, and will Apple continue to lag behind? It's not all doom and gloom for Apple, however, Gurman states "It's hard to count Apple out." After all, Apple is renowned for not doing things first, but doing them best and Gurman believes "At some point, Apple will either develop, hire or acquire its way into the top tier of AI companies." There's also Apple's huge user base that plays a determining factor in its AI development. After all, the company can simply roll out AI features to millions of devices and make AI accessible to all. In the iPhone 16 marketing, Apple claims Apple Intelligence is "AI for the rest of us" and the company hopes to build on that mantra by making Apple Intelligence available on as many devices as possible. Gurman claims, "By 2026, nearly every Apple device with a screen will run it: The iPhone SE will gain the features in March, and the entry-level iPad will probably get updated later in the year." That's a huge step in making Apple Intelligence the core of the Apple experience, and with a big chunk of development to catch up on, that strategy of making Apple Intelligence the center of the Apple ecosystem is probably Apple's best bet. Once Apple does catch up, companies like Google and Samsung will struggle to keep up as Apple Intelligence can be upgraded and new features rolled out at an unmatchable speed. "They have more fragmented operating systems, and their hardware, software and services aren't as tightly integrated." With Apple Intelligence expected to launch on October 28, we've only got a week or so to go until Apple's AI tools become available to the world - time will tell just how big an impact the company can have in the AI industry.

Why Siri isn't ChatGPT: Federighi on Apple's approach to AI

Apple's head of software, Craig Federighi, recently sat down with The Wall Street Journal to discuss the company's cautious approach to artificial intelligence and the future of Siri. While Apple has been slower to roll out generative AI tools compared to competitors, Federighi stressed the importance of doing things the right way, with a focus on privacy and user experience. In October, Apple plans to release new AI features through iOS 18.1 for the iPhone 15 Pro and the upcoming iPhone 16. These features, called Apple Intelligence, will also come to Macs and iPads. While companies like OpenAI have quickly introduced AI products like ChatGPT, Apple has taken a slower route. "We feel like we want to get it right," Federighi said, adding that Apple views this as a long-term project. "This is a many year, honestly, even decades-long arc of this technology playing out, and so we're gonna do it responsibly." Apple Intelligence is "not first, but best" Tim Cook says Apple's AI approach stands out because of its strong focus on privacy. Federighi explained that Apple runs most AI models directly on users' devices, meaning personal data stays local. Only in some cases, such as long-form summarization, does Apple use cloud computing for better performance. "When you asked to summarize a message, it was encrypted to a trusted device in the cloud. Apple had no access to that email, no one else did," Federighi said. He emphasized that Apple's cloud computing system -- called Private Cloud Compute -- is designed so that the company doesn't see or store user data. Siri, Apple's voice assistant, has been a key part of its product line for over a decade. Federighi admitted that Siri is still evolving, but said it handles around 1.5 billion requests every day. Federighi explained that Siri's usefulness will increase as Apple Intelligence and large language models make the assistant more capable of understanding user commands. Siri will also begin answering more detailed questions based on user information, like calendars and messages. "Siri can understand you better than ever before and is gonna have access to more tools on your device to do more for you than ever before," Federighi said. However, he stressed that Siri is still far from being a fully sentient assistant. "Is there gonna be one moment where we say, 'Siri is now my sentient pal'? No, it's gonna continue to get better and better." Apple previewed many AI tools at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. However, some of these features are still not available. Federighi explained that the company chose to delay certain features in order to ensure they work properly. "This is a big lift, and we feel like we want to get it right," he said. Federighi added that Apple prefers to release AI tools in stages, rather than rushing them to market. One of the new features already available is notification summaries. This tool helps users manage their notifications by summarizing important alerts, like whether their garage door is open or closed. However, Federighi acknowledged that AI summaries for sensitive matters, such as breakups, might feel impersonal. "We're not gonna automatically summarize the notification because we're saying like, 'We're probably not gonna do a good job with this,'" Federighi explained. Apple has also introduced a new photo-editing feature, known as Cleanup, which lets users remove unwanted objects from photos. Federighi said the company debated internally whether to make it easy for users to alter photos. "We are concerned that there's a great history to photography and how people view photographic content as something they can rely on as indicative of reality," Federighi said. To avoid misleading users, Apple includes metadata on edited photos so others can see that changes were made. Federighi confirmed that Apple Intelligence features will roll out gradually over the next year. While some aspects of AI, like Siri's deeper integration with tools like ChatGPT, aren't ready yet, Apple is working on it. "We want customers who are excited about what's to come to know, 'Okay, if I buy this phone, is this the right phone that's gonna do those things?' And yes it is," Federighi said. For now, users can expect more AI updates and guides, such as an upcoming tutorial on how to clean AirPods -- a detail Federighi joked about in the interview.

Apple's emphasis on on-device AI offers more privacy, security

The rollout of Apple Intelligence promises a wealth of new and useful features. Image credit: Apple While some employees believe Apple is currently lagging behind rivals its Apple Intelligence development, the company expects to gain ground in 2025 by introducing new chips and new models. Apple has been promoting the arrival of Apple Intelligence in its latest devices, which will roll out slowly across the next few months via software updates. Users will notice some new features and changes starting with Siri as early as iOS 18.1, which is expected to arrive by the end of October. However, a Bloomberg newsletter claims that some employees feel Apple is significantly behind its rivals, who won't be sitting still on AI development either. For example, internal reports at Apple are claimed to show that ChatGPT's responses to queries are currently about 25 percent more accurate than Siri. ChatGPT can aLeo answer some 30 percent more questions. Until that gap can be closed, Apple will emphasize features such as the promotion of timely notifications, summaries of longer emails and messages, and the partnership with ChatGPT for advanced queries. A more advanced Siri, generative emoji creation, and Image Playground are expected to arrive starting early in 2025. Google and other competitors are already offering some features Apple will put into future Apple Intelligence releases, such as email summaries. Apple's promotional focus for its AI thus far has been an emphasis on being able to do much of the work on-device, for greater privacy and security.For example, users are made aware when outside resources like ChatGPT are used, and what user information, if any, is disclosed. Due to the high resource requirements of AI, the company has drawn something of a line in the sand. Only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max or later models will run Apple Intelligence, and devices will need at least an A17 or M1 chipset, with at least 8GB of RAM. Apple has a lot to do to close the gap between its own development and those of its rivals across 2025 and into 2026. This will be by hiring additional engineers, acquiring companies with promising new technology, and otherwise plowing lots more resources into Apple Intelligence development. While Apple Intelligence matures, the company will focus on bringing out hardware that can run the advanced services as they arrive. The next iPhone SE is expected to have an A18 chip and 8GB of RAM in it, and the entry-level iPad is likely to get a similar update sometime in 2025. According to the report, by early 2026, Apple's entire Mac, iPhone, and iPad devices will be Apple Intelligence-ready. The company will focus on using that, along with redesigns on some products and other updates, to convince users to upgrade.

Leaked internal report shows Apple Intelligence is two years behind ChatGPT

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. In brief: Days before Apple Intelligence makes its public debut, a new report suggests it may have some catching up to do right from the start - at least compared to OpenAI's offerings. However, Apple may have a few tricks up its sleeve to compensate for any shortcomings. According to the latest Power On newsletter by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, internal studies at Apple have found that the current iteration of their AI lags behind industry leaders like OpenAI's ChatGPT. The research reportedly showed that ChatGPT is around 25 percent more accurate and is capable of answering roughly 30 percent more queries. In fact, Gurman claims "some at Apple believe that its generative AI technology - at least, so far - is more than two years behind the industry leaders." To be fair, Apple has a history of taking its time to perfect new technologies before releasing them to the public. The company often lets others go first, learns from their mistakes, and then swoops in with a more polished experience built on top of the latest advancements. We've seen this playbook time and again with products like the iPod, iPhone, Apple Watch, and more recently, foldables. Still, a two-year deficit in a field evolving as rapidly as generative AI is nothing to sneeze at. By the time Apple Intelligence hits its stride in 2026, based on Gurman's timeline, who knows what groundbreaking new capabilities the competition will have developed. The good news for Apple is that it has a few powerful advantages that could help it close the gap quickly, despite the late start. Gurman notes that it's hard to count Apple out. "It has a cherished brand, nearly limitless resources, and a history of coming from behind and being successful. At some point, Apple will either develop, hire or acquire its way into the top tier of AI companies," he adds. Secondly, Gurman says Apple can leverage its massive global install base of over a billion active devices to rapidly roll out AI features and services at an unmatched scale. The plan reportedly involves making Apple Intelligence the core ambient intelligence layer across the entire Apple ecosystem by 2026, integrated into everything from iPhones and iPads to Macs, Apple TVs, and more. "By 2026, nearly every Apple device with a screen will run it," claims Gurman. With such a widespread rollout, there's a strong chance users will opt for Apple's AI over other chatbots, as it will be seamlessly integrated and ready to go across their devices. Of course, this is all speculative for now. We'll see how things unfold once the global rollout for Apple Intelligence begins. While Apple has officially confirmed iOS 18.1 and a major AirPods Pro 2 firmware update for next week, Gurman has pinpointed the 28th as the launch date when we'll finally get our hands on all the new AI features.

Apple Employees Believe They're At least Two Years Behind in AI Development

Apple introduced its 'Apple Intelligence' feature at WWDC 2024 in June, marking the company's first step into the AI league. Since the announcement, the Apple Intelligence features have been in beta development. The Cupertino tech giant will roll out its first set of AI features on October 28 in the U.S. While the Apple Intelligence release date is just around the corner, it might not be as majestic as expected. According to Mark Gurman's latest newsletter, some employees at Apple believe that the company is at least two years behind in Artificial Intelligence development. Apple Intelligence system includes an array of useful and neat features, including Writing Tools, AI notification summaries, Image Playground, Genmoji, an all-new Siri with personal context, and more. Apple's AI features mostly rely on models that can run on-device. That's why there are certain requirements to run Apple Intelligence features. Only devices with at least an A17 Pro or M-series chipset, and at least 8GB of memory are compatible with Apple Intelligence. As a part of Apple's AI strategy, the giant teamed up with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT across the system. This will ensure that Apple's AI system isn't limited to on-device intelligence, but can even handle complex queries as well. OpenAI is one of the top names in the AI space and they develop some of the greatest AI models. Apple mentioned it will integrate GPT-4o across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Users can access ChatGPT via Siri, Writing Tools, and other first-party apps and features. ChatGPT integration will help Apple close the large AI gap and compete neck-to-neck with its direct rivals. According to Gurman, ChatGPT can outperform Siri. Internal studies at Apple showed that ChatGPT is around 25% more accurate than Siri. In addition, ChatGPT could answer 30% more questions compared to Siri. Well, these assessments have raised questions and internal concerns about Apple's generative AI technology, with some employees believing that Apple is two years behind the leaders in AI. "Some at Apple believe that its generative AI technology - at least, so far - is more than two years behind the industry leaders." Even if Apple has embarked on its AI journey, it doesn't seem to go in the right direction. The staggered roll-out is confusing and seems to have crushed the Apple Intelligence hype. On top of that, the first serving of Apple's AI features seems to be underwhelming. Apple might release its AI system this month, but its most impressive features like Image Playground, Genmoji, and all-new powerful Siri are slated to arrive later this year. Even if Apple is falling two years behind in the AI race, it's hard to count it out. Apple has a history of successfully catching up in fields they seemingly lag. One of the biggest examples is Apple Maps. Gurman believes Apple will catch up to its competitors in the AI space, whether they have to hire more experts or acquire the top AI companies. After all, Apple is a cherished brand with absolutely unlimited resources. Additionally, Gurman believes that Apple has an impeccable ability to roll out its features to a massive base of devices. When Apple announced AI in June, it was only compatible with two iPhones, a few iPads, and M-series Macs. Four months down, we have four new iPhones and almost every iPad with AI support. Since Apple is expected to launch its M4 Macs soon, this will only help the company speed up its AI tasks. Gurman says that by 2026, we might see Apple Intelligence running on every device with a screen. Apple is gearing up to launch its next-generation affordable iPhone lineup, the iPhone SE 4 with an A18 chip and Apple intelligence support in early 2025. Also, the entry-level iPad might receive an update later in 2025. Not to forget, OpenAI is one of the models that Apple has integrated. The giant plans to integrate more models in the future. With this ability to multiple AI models on tons of devices, Apple is bound to get an edge as these models iterate. It will be interesting to see how Apple uses this advantage to impress its wide fan base. Do you think Apple is going in the right direction with its AI strategy? Don't forget to share your views in the comments below.

Three advantages Apple Intelligence has over its AI competitors - 9to5Mac

The first Apple Intelligence features are launching next week with iOS 18.1, and beta testers have even now gained access to wave two in iOS 18.2. I've been using many of these AI features on my iPhone, iPad, and Mac since July. Here are the three advantages Apple Intelligence has over its AI competitors. Apple is a product company. Its AI competitors have made attempts at being product companies, with wildly varying success. I'm a big fan of the Apple Intelligence motto, 'AI for the rest of us,' because I think it's true. Apple Intelligence is baked into the existing apps, features, and devices that millions upon millions of people use every day. That's a tough advantage to match. Here's a sampling of Apple Intelligence features that demonstrate what I mean: Most of Apple's competitors are trying to create new AI experiences that come with a learning curve of sorts, or a habit curve at least. Apple Intelligence is built into the existing habits and tools we all rely on. That makes it unique. Here's a key advantage Apple Intelligence has over its competitors: it integrates some of the best of those competitors, and the exchange isn't mutual. In iOS 18.2, ChatGPT is baked into Siri and Apple's own writing tools. Essentially, one of Apple Intelligence's premier competitors is giving its full intelligence capabilities to Apple. You can send your Siri requests directly to ChatGPT, bypassing permission prompts altogether, giving you the best of both company's AI tools in one package. Visual intelligence similarly integrates not only ChatGPT, but also Google image search. And there's a solid chance Google Gemini will come fully baked into Apple Intelligence at some point in the future. Apple, meanwhile, isn't giving its Apple Intelligence tech to these other companies. Obviously there are mutual benefits for each company. But from a user-facing standpoint, only Apple Intelligence offers Apple's AI plus that of its competitors. I'm not claiming that other AI companies are bad actors out to trample all over users' privacy. But Apple Intelligence has privacy tenets that its competitors just don't. Apple's go-to for AI tasks is on-device processing. This means the data used for AI notification summaries, photo object removal, and more will stay on your device. Only someone who can physically access your device will have access to that data. Then there's Private Cloud Compute. Apple has a highly detailed research paper outlining everything PCC can do. But essentially, Apple has built an innovative way for AI tasks to run in the cloud with, in theory, just as much privacy protection as local tasks provide. You can read more about Apple Intelligence and privacy here, and the details of how privacy works with the ChatGPT integration here. Much has been said about Apple being 'behind' when it comes to AI. Whether that's true or not, Apple clearly has several key advantages with Apple Intelligence that could help it best the competition before long. We're just on the cusp of Apple Intelligence's launch, but the future looks bright. How do you see Apple Intelligence's position relative to competitors? Let us know in the comments.

Apple Intelligence is 2 years behind the competition, according to Gurman, but there is something in which it has a great advantage - Softonic

Even before the launch of Apple Intelligence, there were rumors that Apple might be somewhat behind in the development of artificial intelligence. Now, Mark Gurman claims that, according to some employees within the company, Apple's artificial intelligence technology is about two years behind that of other companies, such as OpenAI or Google. However, what might seem like a weak point in Apple's strategy hides an advantage that could give it a strong position in the future: its ability to integrate AI into its device ecosystem. Apple introduced its set of artificial intelligence features, Apple Intelligence, at the opening conference of WWDC 2024. It was the company's first public step into the current AI boom, and while it showcased interesting tools such as AI-generated notification summaries, an enhanced Siri with personal context, and others like Image Playground and Genmoji, not all features were going to be released at the same time. Apple's AI solutions focus on models that run directly on devices, which requires powerful hardware (A17, M1 or higher, with at least 8GB of RAM), but at the same time limits their capability compared to cloud-based services. Aware that local processing would not be sufficient at all times, Apple made a decision that marks a key difference: a partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT throughout the operating system. This integration allows us to access OpenAI's language models, such as GPT-4o, directly from Siri or through writing tools (and later from all image tools). According to Apple's internal studies cited by Gurman, ChatGPT is about 25% more accurate than Siri and can answer 30% more questions. Despite the challenges, Apple has an ace up its sleeve: the omnipresence of its AI in the Apple ecosystem. Unlike other companies that offer AI solutions as separate products or services, Apple's strategy is fully integrated into its operating system, and therefore, in all our devices. This deep integration in hardware and software allows Apple to maximize the performance and efficiency of its AI models, optimizing them for very specific and customized tasks, such as notification management, image recognition, or personalizing responses through Siri. In its current state, the key to AI is its utility. Between a very powerful model that requires the use of a dedicated app or a somewhat more modest model that can, for example, automatically create a memory in Photos or improve search, the choice for many is clear. Utility comes through availability and integration. According to Gurman, Apple's future vision involves making Apple Intelligence available on all devices with a screen by 2026. This includes everything from the iPhone SE, which will receive the A18 chip in 2025, to all new iPads and Macs. It is true that Apple seems to be somewhat behind in AI, but the company's ability to completely change a market or industry is well known, even though they are almost never the first to arrive. According to Gurman himself, Apple will probably do the same with AI, whether through internal development, hiring experts, or acquiring leading companies in the field, Apple Intelligence will change the game.

Tim Cook Knows Apple Isn't First in AI but Says 'It's About Being the Best'

Apple reportedly conducted internal studies showing Apple Intelligence is two years behind ChatGPT. Ricky Bobby from the 2006 film Talladega Nights would find Apple’s belated rollout of Apple Intelligence a sure sign of failure. “If you ain’t first, you’re last,†he'd say to Apple CEO Tim Cook. In the meantime, Cook is aware that his company isn’t going to have AI first, but the longer the CEO said it takes toâ€"ahemâ€"cook Apple Intelligence, the more savory a treat it will eventually be. Compared to the competition on Android, the initial rollout expected Oct. 28 will be barebones. Google’s Gemini already has AI-generated text and summarization capabilities, and the AI image generation from Apple’s Image Playground andâ€"most importantlyâ€"the Siri integration that can work between apps on users’ behalf don’t have an official launch date. Hints from Bloomberg’s Apple guru Mark Gurman mention we could see these features in a few months, though in all likelihood, a better Siri won’t arrive until 2025. “We weren’t the first to do intelligence,†Cook told The Wall Street Journal in an interview Monday. “But we’ve done it in a way that we think is the best for the customer.†We have yet to test out Apple Intelligence in all its true glory. ChatGPT and Gemini are already prolific, and we’ve seen a few of their ups alongside their many downs. However, as Apple integrates its AI, there are already troubling signs. Gurman wrote in his latest Power On newsletter that, internally, Apple believes its AI “is more than two years behind the industry leaders.†An internal study found that Siri was 25% less accurate than ChatGPT. According to the Bloomberg writer, OpenAI’s chatbot could answer 30% more questions. Apple intends to integrate ChatGPT onto users’ iPhones (or at least all the iPhone 16s, the iPhone 15 Pro, and the latest iPads, including the 2024 Air, Pro, and upcoming iPad mini). It will be restricted behind Apple’s security apparatus, and users will need to grant permission before using any of its touted generative features. Apple may not need to be first. Bringing up the rear has its advantages. You can see how other companies fail and then tailor your software for the better. Even then, the initial rollout will seem like deja vu. You can already access the initial first instance of Apple Intelligence through the iOS 18.1 beta. In a nutshell, AI features like Writing Tools let you highlight text to either proofread, rewrite, or summarize with an AI. Other initial Apple Intelligence features include a “priority notifications†capability to put your most pressing notifications, like important meetings or texts, closest to the top. The AI can also summarize the transcripts in Notes or from phone calls. Just how useful are text summaries? Cook says he’s been using them recently for his emails, saving him time “here and there.†If it saves you a few minutes each day, then perhaps it might save you a few hours or days over a month. I might ask why I would write a long, detailed email if I know my boss isn't going to read it. Still, for the Apple CEO, he claims, “It’s changed my life.†As somebody who has used AI in various capacities over the past two years, I have a much different outlook. Text summaries can occasionally be helpful, but as a journalist, I find the important bits lie in the details. I can’t ask AI to skim product briefs for the next iPad I’m reviewing in case it misses something. I might ask an AI to find out the specs of an old iPhone for a feature I'm working on, but I still have to double-check its work because AI may get it wrong, and you're never quite sure where it's pulling the data from. The less I need to say about AI-generated text, the better. Still, Apple’s CEO told WSJ that AI would make users’ time on the phone “profoundly different.†He believes it will change how users operate their phones. Apple has had major misses. Remember the butterfly keyboards? It’s like any other major company that’s been around for the past 50 years. Sometimes, it messes up, but Apple’s unique in never acknowledging those failures. In the interview, Cook is presented as having a positive outlook. He said the company is not “running to get something out firstâ€| If you talk to 100 people, 100 of them would tell you: It’s about being the best.†The interview doesn’t examine the CEO’s reasoning too critically. Cook is a salesman, first and foremost. Despite the CEO's talk, Apple was late to AI. It only made its first AI models public in December 2023. One anonymous worker inside Apple told Gurman last year that it was “a pretty big miss internally.†Then again, we may not need an Apple Intelligence as capable as ChatGPT. The ideal is to have an "agentic" AI that works on-device. It needs to be capable of taking information between apps, like setting a calendar reminder based on a text (something Gemini is already edging close to). The first company to reach that goal will have struck gold; AI summaries be damned.

Gurman: Apple Believes Its AI Technology Is Two Years Behind Rivals

Some Apple employees believe that the company's in-house generative AI technology powering Apple Intelligence is more than two years behind industry leaders, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman's sources within Apple tell him that the company's own studies suggest its upcoming AI features lack the "wow factor" of rival technologies currently offered by the likes of Google, OpenAI, and Meta. For example, internal studies at Apple reportedly show that OpenAI's ChatGPT is 25% more accurate than the new Siri and can answer 30% more questions. Of course, Apple has already conceded as much, given that part of its strategy includes a partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into its operating systems, providing users with the option to tap into greater generative AI assistance if they want it. Despite the setback, Gurman notes that Apple is in the unique position of presiding over a vast ecosystem of tightly integrated devices, which gives it the advantage of being able to quickly deploy new technologies across its product line. This could prove advantageous as the company works to close the AI gap with competitors, and its history of successfully entering new markets suggests it shouldn't be counted out. Apple's latest iPhone 16 series supports Apple Intelligence, as does its Macs and its iPad lineup (with the exception of the entry-level model) following last week's iPad mini 7 announcement. The first set of AI features are expected to roll out to these devices next week. Meanwhile, a new iPhone SE 4 with Apple Intelligence support is set to launch in March, with an AI-capable entry-level iPad said to be coming later in the same year. In addition, Apple is working on bringing the technology to Vision Pro, and given that AI notification summaries can be delivered to Apple Watch, Gurman suggests that by early 2026, "nearly every Apple device with a screen" will run Apple Intelligence.

Apple Intelligence Reportedly More Than Two Years Behind Rivals

The AI-powered Siri will reportedly not arrive till next year Apple Intelligence is the company's biggest bet for the iPhone 16 series and the newly launched iPad mini. The suite of artificial intelligence (AI) features will reportedly debut on October 28, integrating compatible devices with features such as Writing Tools, notification summaries, and more. However, as per a new report, Apple Intelligence might be significantly behind rivals in terms of output capabilities. If true, this might dent the sales of the new iPhone devices and iPad mini, which have been heavily marketed on the back of AI capabilities. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter that Apple Intelligence features might not be on par with the offerings of rivals such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Citing unnamed Apple employees, the report claimed that the AI features could be more than two years behind other industry leaders. Gurman further highlighted several internal studies made by Apple and claimed that the AI-powered Siri is 25 percent less accurate than ChatGPT, and answers 30 percent lesser questions compared to OpenAI's chatbot. A similar difference reportedly exists when compared to Gemini as well. This is not promising given that the upgraded Siri is powered by both ChatGPT as well as the Cupertino-based tech giant's in-house large language models. If Apple's AI technology cannot compete with those from rivals, it might push away users from using these features and from upgrading their devices to newer models. However, Gurman also claimed that the tech giant had a big advantage in quickly rolling out the feature to a large number of devices given the existing hardware stack it has equipped in its recently launched devices. For instance, during the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, the company had announced the AI features to just two iPhone devices and two iPad models. But now, it is already announced to be available on the new iPhone 16 models, all the new generation iPad devices as well as all the Mac devices currently available on the Apple Store. Further, Gurman claimed that by 2026, the tech giant plans to introduce Apple Intelligence to nearly every device with a screen.

Gurman: Apple internally believes that it's around two years behind in AI development - 9to5Mac

According to the latest edition of Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter, some employees at Apple believe that the company is around two years behind in artificial intelligence development. We also get some insight on a few internal studies, and a look ahead at Apple's strategy. Apple unveiled the Apple Intelligence feature set back at WWDC24 back in June, marking the company's first step into the world's current AI craze. There were a number of neat features that Apple built, including AI notification summaries, intelligent breakthrough for important notifications, an all new Siri with personal context, Image Playground, Genmoji, and more. However, one interesting thing about Apple's AI strategy, one that wasn't rumored until relatively late in the development cycle, is the fact that they aren't doing it all on their own. Apple Intelligence mostly relies on models that can run on-device, which also means that the requirements to run Apple Intelligence are pretty high. You need an A17 or M1 chipset or later, with at least 8GB of memory. However, the fact that they run on device also inherently limits how information heavy they can be. And for that reason, Apple also announced a partnership with OpenAI for ChatGPT integration across the system. You're not forced to use it, but if you want to tap into additional knowledge, it's there. OpenAI develops some of the world's greatest AI models, and Apple announced that they'd be supporting GPT-4o across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. It'll be integrated in Siri, as well as Writing Tools. ChatGPT integration was expected to close the knowledge gap, and now we know exactly how large that knowledge gap is. According to Gurman, Apple's internal studies show that ChatGPT is around 25% more accurate than Siri, and can answer around 30% more questions. He also later states that "some at Apple believe that its generative AI technology - at least, so far - is more than two years behind the industry leaders." Historically, Apple has proven successful in catching up in fields they're seemingly behind in, such as Apple Maps. Gurman believes that Apple will catch up regardless, whether they do it themselves, hire people to do it, or acquire the necessary companies to do so. Additionally, Gurman says that by 2026, every Apple device with a screen will run it, with the iPhone SE gaining the A18 chip in March as we expected, and the entry-level iPad "probably" getting updated later in 2025. Apple obviously has the advantage of having tons of devices with high capability to run AI models, so as they iterate, we'll all get to benefit from it quickly. It's just a matter of how Apple develops things going forward. What do you think of Apple's AI strategy? What would you like to see Apple Intelligence support in the future? Let us know in the comments.

Apple Intelligence Delays: What's Holding It Back?

One of the core elements behind Apple's measured approach to Apple Intelligence is its commitment to privacy. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Apple's head of software, Craig Federighi, explained that Apple Intelligence is not just another AI chatbot. The goal is to create a deeply personal, integrated system that aligns with Apple's long-standing privacy principles. Unlike many AI models from competitors that process user data via cloud servers, Apple aims to prioritise on-device AI processing. Federighi revealed that most send every user prompt to cloud servers, which can compromise privacy. Apple, however, is committed to keeping as much of the processing on the device itself. "When you ask to summarise a long email, it's encrypted to a trusted device in the cloud that performs AI processing and returns the result. The important part is that Apple has no access to that email, and it's gone once the process is complete," Federighi said. This method ensures that sensitive user data isn't stored or accessible by Apple. This is a major reason for the delays, as Apple wants to ensure that the technology is both powerful and secure.

Apple's own research sheds light on Siri's AI laggardness | Digital Trends

With the introduction of the new iPad Mini, Apple made it clear that a software experience brimming with AI is the way forward. And if that meant making the same kind of internal upgrades to a tablet that costs nearly half as much as its flagship phone, the company would still march forward. However, its ambitions with Apple Intelligence lack competitive vigor, and even by Apple's own standards, the experience hasn't managed to wow users. On top of that, the staggered rollout of the most ambitious AI features -- many of which are still in the future -- has left enthusiasts with a bad taste. Recommended Videos Now, it appears that the reason behind the delays has something to do with quality and performance, as per Apple's own testing. "The research found that OpenAI's ChatGPT was 25% more accurate than Apple's Siri, and able to answer 30% more questions," says a Bloomberg report. To recall, Apple's position with Siri is quite unique. For example, Siri is getting enhanced natural language understanding and deeper integration with apps as well as local files. However, there are tasks it can't quite accomplish, and for such situations, the queries will be seamlessly offloaded to ChatGPT. That's part of a deal Apple inked with OpenAI. Now, it would make sense that Siri can't quite pull the same kind of internet-connected tasks as ChatGPT, primarily because Siri and ChatGPT are two entirely different products. However, Apple is deploying OpenAI's tech stack in more places than just Siri. According to OpenAI, the ChatGPT will also lend a hand to users with "image and document understanding." The Writing Tools - which have already arrived in tools like Notes and Safari -- are also tapping into the ChatGPT kitty. Moreover, image generation will also be handled by OpenAI's tech. With such deep reliance on ChatGPT, one might think that's because Apple isn't quite there on the leaderboard with its own AI tech stack, something that could rival the likes of Google's Gemini or Meta. That assumption won't be entirely implausible, and even Apple's team seems to agree with the status quo. "In fact, some at Apple believe that its generative AI technology -- at least, so far -- is more than two years behind the industry leaders," adds the Bloomberg report. Yet, it's not merely about advancements, but also the pace of rollout. Take a look at Galaxy AI, Samsung's take on an AI ecosystem that has already appeared on a wide array of its phones and computing machines, with some help from Google's Gemini stack. Chinese smartphone makers have already been offering generative AI features like image generation and a next-gen assistant for a while now. At this point in time, it seems almost certain that Apple's strategy with Apple Intelligence was hurried, apparently in a bid to quell investor concerns that the company was lagging in the AI race. So far, whatever little we have seen from Apple's "AI revolution" has been far from revolutionary. The best implementation of Apple Intelligence so far has been notification summaries and prioritization, but those are more utilitarian features than something that would reimagine the software experience for users. It would be interesting to see how Apple injects fresh energy into its AI approach next year. But so far, the company hasn't made any such announcements, and even the promises it made at its developers conference earlier this year are yet to materialize.

Don't Be Shocked if Apple Intelligence Is Limited

Tesla's Cybertruck Battery Pack is Just as Disappointing as the Truck Apple's long-awaited and highly-anticipated Apple Intelligence feature is slated to arrive on iPhones, iPads, and Macs next week. However, not all of the features promised at its debut during Apple's Glowtime event in August will ship with the initial release. ✕ Remove Ads Take the Clean Up tool, for example. Designed as an answer to Google's Magic Eraser feature, Clean Up can select and remove background assets from an image without impacting the subject of the photo. But while it can easily remove birds flying in a solid blue sky, removing an asset from more complex backgrounds, say, a Persian rug, will leave obvious visual artifacts. This is apparently intentional, not because Apple's software isn't sufficiently capable. "People view photographic content as something they can rely on as indicative of reality," Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP of Software Engineering told Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal in a recent interview. "It's important to us that we help purvey accurate information, not fantasy." "The demand for people to want to clean up what seems like extraneous details to the photo that don't fundamentally change the meaning of what happened have been very, very high," he continued. "So we've been willing to take that small step." ✕ Remove Ads Federighi also addressed the recent delay to Apple Intelligence's release, which was slated to happen alongside the release of iOS 18 in September. He explained that the company is not looking to roll out every one of its AI capabilities on day one, but rather, is taking a long-term approach that spans years if not decades. "Apple's point of view is more like let's try to get each piece right and release it when it's ready ... We're going to do it responsibly," he said. As for Siri, which is receiving a significant rebuild with help from OpenAI's ChatGPT, Federighi can't point to a specific where the AI assistant will be fully realized. "As humans, our expectations for what it means to use our voice to communicate and ask for things is almost unbounded," he said. "Is there going to be one moment where we say Siri is now my, you know, sentient pal? You know, no - it's going to continue to get better and better." ✕ Remove Ads Though Apple took some heat over the seeming sedate pace of its AI development and release, it certainly beats the alternative we saw with Google's panicked roll-out of Bard last year. The company lost $100 billion (with a B) in market value after its hastily released AI incorrectly answered a basic astronomy question in its television ad. Even Google's own employees decried the early version of the AI as a "pathological liar." Source: WSJ via BGR

Apple Employees Believe The Company Is Two Years Behind Competition In AI Development, As It Will Rely On ChatGPT To Close The Knowledge Gap

Apple showcased its AI features at its WWDC event in June of this year. While the features are pretty appealing, the company still has a lot to do to compete against the giants of the industry, including OpenAI's ChatGPT platform. The company was last to step into the AI world, as Google and Samsung had already begun their efforts to integrate the technology into their devices. A prominent analyst now claims that Apple is two years behind in AI development, and it is strategizing to offer the technology on all of its devices in the coming two years. Apple has already announced its AI endeavors, but it has yet to release it to the general public. Apple appears to be testing the arrival of Apple Intelligence features with the release of iOS 18.1 next week, but the update will not include everything the company showcased on WWDC. Instead, the company will divide the features into various updates and release the entirety until next year. We have recently covered that Apple has already started working on ChatGPT integration with Siri, and it will be made available to the general public later this year. Mark Gurman from Bloomberg claims in his latest Power On newsletter that some Apple employees believe that the company is two years behind the competition when it comes to AI development. The time frame makes sense as Apple did step into the category later than most competitors, including Google, Microsoft, and some other major players. It is worth noting that the company has a steady pace in catching up with technology, and Apple Intelligence could be another mark that the company could achieve. Gurman states that Apple will eventually catch up to the industry standards, even if it has to outsource the development process or integrate third-party language models. With that said, Gurman says that in the next two years, all Apple Devices with a screen will run Apple Intelligence. Apple recently announced the iPad mini 7, which features all the hardware requirements for Apple Intelligence, including 8GB of RAM and an A17 Pro chip. The entry-level iPad will potentially be upgraded next year with the same AI features. Additionally, we have recently covered that Apple is planning to introduce a new iPhone 17 'Air' model next year with 8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to launch in the Spring of 2025, and it will become the cheapest iPhone to feature Apple Intelligence. It appears that the company is all in on the AI front and it is planning to integrate the technology on all of its devices. Do you think Apple will fill the two-year gap in AI advancements?

Is Apple really two years behind on AI, and does it matter anyway? - 9to5Mac

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported over the weekend that some Apple employees believe that the company is about two years behind the curve on artificial intelligence. Tim Cook didn't directly address that during an interview with the WSJ, but did say that the company's aim is always to be best, not first - and that this includes AI ... The first point to make is that there are very few people with the ability to make this kind of assessment. If you work for Apple outside of AI projects, you likely have no better idea about the company's AI development status than any outsider. Even if you do work within an AI team inside Apple, the company's famous silo approach means that you likely only know about your specific area. There have been cases of Apple engineers beavering away for years without having any idea how their work would eventually be used - and that includes people working on important elements of the original iPhone without any idea that it was for a smartphone project. The only people who have a good idea of the overall state of AI development within Apple are senior execs with an overview of all of the various strands of the company's work in this area, and they of course aren't speaking to anyone. So, the people speaking to Gurman don't have the facts needed to form that kind of judgement. However, it's certainly fair to say that Siri is currently behind Google Assistant. I've talked before about the misleading comparison between Siri and Alexa. The bottom line here is that Alexa is no smarter, but third parties can give the assistant specific additional skills, which is an approach which simply doesn't scale. However, where things get more telling is when you compare Siri to Google Assistant. There is no doubt at all that the latter is currently significantly smarter and more capable, and the difference is frankly embarrassing for Apple's intelligent assistant. Time after time, asking the same sequence of questions of Siri and Google Assistant reveals a massive gulf in the respective results, and that hasn't changed much even in the latest developer beta. One of the examples I frequently cite is two simple related queries: Siri answers the first by opening Apple Maps and showing directions - but those default to being by car, which would be the dumbest possible way to make that journey. Car will be slower than public transit, and parking near the Tower is incredibly expensive. Asked the follow-up question, Siri has literally no idea what I'm talking about: That's a bakery I've never heard of, let alone visited, and two businesses which have 'open' in the name. It's a ridiculous response demonstrating Siri has failed to maintain context even with the second question immediately following the first. Google Assistant is smarter in two ways. First, in answer to the first question, it begins "The best way to reach the Tower of London from here ..." and correctly shows that this is one stop on the Docklands Light Railway followed by a very short walk. Second, when I ask the follow-up question, the assistant understands the context. It gives me a spoken reply on today's opening hours, and displays on screen the hours for the rest of the week. Admittedly, Siri has shown some improvement in contextual understanding in iOS 18.1. For example, if I ask for the weather in Cape Town and then ask "And what time is it there?" it does understand and give the correct answer. But this is more the exception than the rule. There are plenty of cases where neither intelligent assistant matches the level of contextual understanding we'd expect of a five-year-old. For example, asking "What time is it in New York?" followed by "And how much is one pound sterling worth there?" Siri asks me what currency I want to convert to, and Google Assistant gives me the exchange rate for Euros. If I ask "What is currently showing at the Marylebone Theatre?" then both assistants resort to showing me web results. ChatGPT, in contrast, gives me the US dollar rate, and has no problem answering the theater question, also providing helpful information about the play. Probably not, for two reasons. First, development work in an area like AI isn't linear. ChatGPT-like AI capabilities were a distant dream until, all of a sudden, they weren't. The first chatbot to ever attempt to pass the Turing Test was ELIZA back in the 1960s, and it did indeed fool some people. For literally decades after that, we didn't really see anything dramatically better than this. Then ChatGPT was launched in 2022, and a flurry of other LLMs followed. The world changed very dramatically, very quickly. So even if Apple were two years behind now, that's absolutely not the same as saying it will take the company two years to catch up with today's leading-edge AI capabilities. Nor is it saying that Apple won't overtake the current market leaders. Now that the company has finally decided to get in on the AI game, it has more resources than any other company on the planet to throw at the problem. It can out-spend and out-hire everyone else out there. Anyone want to put money on Apple being two years behind by the end of next year? Second, Apple isn't ever competing with the market as a whole, in any field. The company isn't the slightest bit interested in the fact that Samsung sells more smartphones, nor that Lenovo sells more PCs. It targets the most profitable segment of the market, and there it dominates. So whether Apple Intelligence becomes bigger than ChatGPT is irrelevant. What matters are three things: I suspect the answer to all three questions is "yes." That second question is, I think, going to prove crucial. People are just starting to realize the huge privacy implications of AI models trained on their own inputs. Privacy is going to be seen as more and more important by more and more people as time goes on. This has always been one of Apple's USPs in general, and in the AI arena the company has again taken a clear lead here: Nobody is doing more than Apple in an area likely, in time, to be seen as just as important as AI smarts.

Android users are getting superior AI features, and Apple knows it

According to a Bloomberg report, internal Apple studies have found ChatGPT to be 25% more accurate than Siri. The OpenAI chatbot can also answer 30% more questions. Given the current state of AI at the company, some Apple employees "believe that its generative AI technology -- at least, so far -- is more than two years behind the industry leaders." While the Cupertino firm has been showcasing its AI suite to market the iPhone 16, the first batch of Apple Intelligence features will miss out on most of them. Next week, eligible users will be able to manipulate text with Writing Tools, summarize notifications and articles, and send auto-generated replies. However, the more exciting additions like Genmoji, Image Playground, native ChatGPT integration, and context-aware Siri are still months away.

Apple is '2 years behind' on AI but here's why I think it will still end up ahead

Apple has been working on machine learning and AI technology for decades. It is deeply integrated into all its products, including providing health data and services in the Apple Watch. But it was late to the game when it came to generative AI. According to Mark Gurman, writing for Bloomberg, Apple's research found that ChatGPT was at least 25% more accurate than Siri and could answer more questions. Its biggest differentiator is its conversational nature, where you can talk back to it after it responds to ask follow-up questions. According to Gurman: "Some at Apple believe that its generative AI technology -- at least, so far -- is more than two years behind the industry leaders." While this might sound bad for a company working at the cutting edge of technology, Apple is in a very good position to make up the difference. It has plenty of resources for research and development, deep integration between hardware and software, and a loyal user base. Apple's primary focus has been on consumer tech, building devices and software that work seamlessly together and provide the tools and services its customers want. This hasn't always required it to be at the bleeding edge of research. With the launch of Apple Intelligence, still gradually rolling out, the company is starting to catch up, but it's doing so in a way that still focuses on consumer need rather than showing off. This is most obvious in its writing tools, which are deeply integrated throughout the ecosystem. However, and writing to Gurman's point, so far what we've seen from Apple is just an adaptation of technology that has been around for some time. It doesn't seem to be innovating at the bleeding edge, which could cause problems for it in the coming years as companies like Meta build out their smart glasses or ChatGPT owner OpenAI works on its own devices. One solution to this, and something that Apple has already started to deploy, is through partnerships with the big AI labs. Siri has been built in such a way that it can pull data from any other app or trigger functions in another app. This means that in the future, you could be having a conversation with Apple's simple chatbot, and it can turn to ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or some future AI that we have yet to see for advice or a more complex response. The other superpower Apple has in its arsenal is the massive network of devices at its disposal. Billions of phones, tablets, and laptops running Apple's operating system could be given an Apple Intelligence upgrade, deploying consumer AI at a scale no other company outside of possibly Samsung can enjoy. While it is true that Apple may be two years behind the bleeding edge, I certainly wouldn't discount a company with enough money in reserve to buy a leading AI lab, enough researchers putting out fascinating studies, papers, and code every day to keep investors interested, and a deep integration between hardware and software that allows them to deploy models that wouldn't necessarily run on any other device. And all this is before we even get Apple Intelligence on the Watch, which I've previously said is one of the best form factors for delivering AI interaction.

Industry Analysis Reveals Apple's AI Progress Stalls Behind Rivals by Two Years

Apple is ramping up its AI efforts, but a recent internal assessment reveals that Siri lags significantly behind models like OpenAI's ChatGPT Apple is intensifying its efforts to bolster its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, but a recent internal assessment paints a concerning picture of the company's competitive standing. According to a report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's research indicates that Siri, the company's flagship virtual assistant, is significantly trailing behind cutting-edge AI models like OpenAI's ChatGPT. The analysis reveals that ChatGPT outperforms Siri by a margin of 25 per cent in accuracy and can address 30 per cent more inquiries. This performance gap has raised alarms within Apple regarding its ability to compete effectively in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. The findings suggest that Apple's generative AI technology is more than two years behind industry frontrunners, including OpenAI and other leading firms such as Google and Microsoft, which have been aggressively enhancing their AI capabilities through substantial investments and research initiatives. Despite these setbacks, Apple is not standing still. The tech giant continues to invest in AI-driven features across its product line. The recently launched iPad mini, for instance, is equipped with specialized hardware designed to support Apple's new AI platform referred to as Apple Intelligence. This platform aims to harness machine learning for improved user experiences and smarter features across devices including predictive text and image recognition. However, early adopters may find themselves disappointed as the full functionality of these features will only be available through a post-launch software update. This delay raises questions about Apple's readiness to deliver on its ambitious AI promises, potentially frustrating users eager to leverage the new technology. Moreover, Apple's struggles with Siri highlight broader challenges the company faces in adapting to the AI revolution. While competitors like OpenAI and Google have developed advanced conversational agents capable of natural language understanding and contextual awareness, Siri has remained relatively static in its capabilities. To regain its competitive edge, Apple may need to rethink its approach to AI development, potentially considering partnerships, acquisitions or enhanced hiring practices to attract top talent in the field. In focusing on advancements, however, encounters pressure to boost the pace of its AI growth and offer rapid innovations. The enterprise needs to tackle these performance shortfalls and upgrade its AI services. These ABI opportunities should be exploited or the enterprise will be more entrenched as a lagger in a fast-churning industry which requires a culture of aggressive developments and innovations creating a competitive adverse weight. The AI landscape has raised competitive tensions and Apple is now attempting to reposition itself in the sector to close the gap with its rivals. The next few months we see moves from Apple in an attempt to not just catch up but also to foster novel ideas in an already cluttered marketplace. Quite a few in the industry, however, will be quite interested in how Apple manages all this and where it places itself in the scheme of the AI race.

The 4 words Tim Cook uses to defend Apple's late AI start

"Not first, but best," Cook -- and other executives -- told the Wall Street Journal about Apple's AI strategy in an interview published Sunday. The Cupertino, California-based tech giant unveiled its AI initiative, Apple Intelligence, this past June. While OpenAI launched its popular generative AI chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022 -- followed by Google (GOOGL+0.20%), Microsoft (MSFT-0.72%), and Meta's (META-0.72%) flurry of chatbots, custom AI chips, and AI software features -- Apple stayed quiet. But according to Cook, who has been at Apple's helm since 2011 after Steve Jobs resigned, the company was looking to perfect its suite of AI tools -- rather than win a mad dash to a not-yet-existent finish line. "We're perfectly fine with not being first," he told the Wall Street Journal. "As it turns out, it takes a while to get it really great. It takes a lot of iteration. It takes worrying about every detail. Sometimes, it takes a little longer to do that. "We would rather come out with that kind of product and that kind of contribution to people versus running to get something out first. If we can do both, that's fantastic. But if we can only do one, there's no doubt around here. If you talk to 100 people, 100 of them would tell you: It's about being the best." But even the rollout of Apple Intelligence has faced delays: It didn't come pre-installed to the new iPhone 16 lineup, as new software usually does, but is instead going to be introduced as a software update later this month. Apple Intelligence includes a slate of new features for iPhone 15 Pro models and higher, including the ability to understand and create images and language; edit, change tone, and proofread text; and create new emojis using a typed description. Voice assistant Siri will also become more natural, relevant, and personalized and will allow users to access ChatGPT directly from their devices.

I've been using ChatGPT Voice -- 7 things it can do the new Siri can't

As AI voice assistants continuously improve, I couldn't help but notice some key differences between two of my favorites -- ChatGPT Advance Voice and the new Siri . Both models have a number of standout features including a new design, faster response times, and the ability to control the app with your voice, however, Apple's advancements in AI, still fall short in several areas. Its own internal reports suggest it is at least two years behind. I've pulled together a list of things I find useful in ChatGPT that Apple's engineers should consider adopting to make Siri as good as it can be. This would help it earn its title as the centerpiece of the Apple ecosystem and controller for Apple Intelligence. I'll start with perhaps the most obvious highlight, which is ChatGPT's ability to maintain long, complex conversations while understanding context. ChatGPT remembers previous details and can use them again in future responses. This makes the conversation far more engaging and human-like. While Siri is now more adapted to following along if you stumble over your words, it is still not as conversational as ChatGPT. Because it cannot recall previous queries, each time you try to talk with Siri it is like starting over. This can make interactions feel fragmented. For Siri to compete, Apple needs to improve recall capabilities and memory so the AI assistant can track discussions and offer more natural responses. It also needs to enable better follow-ups as not everything can be handled in the first question. Siri does not yet have visual comprehension. ChatGPT can not only listen and speak, but it can also "see." Meaning, if users ask the AI model to analyze, describe or generate insights from photos or diagrams, it will provide analysis and contextual information based on the image. This is something coming to the Apple Ecosystem through Apple Visual Intelligence, which will inevitably be accessible to Siri in the future. Meta AI has a feature that lets it describe what it can see through the smart glasses in response to a query like "What am I looking at". This will be a good way for Apple to give Siri eyes. This is one area where new Siri has improved. You can ask it what the weather is like and it will give you a response, or you can ask if you need an umbrella and it will tell you whether it is currently raining. However, this doesn't go as far as ChatGPT Voice in terms of contextual conversation. OpenAI's bot will respond with an explanation or more naturally. What Siri can do is access your location, the current weather and give real information. What it can't do is respond with detail. All you'll get is the temperature in response to "do I need a jacket" or "I don't think its raining" if you ask if you need an umbrella. While ChatGPT will respond with something like "it might be a good idea as that is a fairly low temperature," you do have to first tell it the temperature as voice mode has no live data. Apple would need to significantly enhance Siri's ability to draw contextual connections between queries to match ChatGPT's fluid conversation model. But then, ChatGPT needs live data in its voice mode to be a useful assistant. ChatGPT Voice utilizes advanced natural language processing to adapt its tone, style, and conversation based on the user. It adds human elements such as scoffs, pauses, even ums, that make it feel more natural than Siri. Although Apple Intelligence has improved Siri's voice, it still lacks the nuanced adaptability. Apple would need to invest more in natural language processing and speech dynamics for Siri to match what ChatGPT Voice can do. What Siri does have in its favor is that it largely runs locally, so works offline. When you want to set a reminder or send a message, Siri is great. It can help you keep track of your medications, what apps you've subscribed to, and even help you share your WiFi password. Siri can send text messages and emails. But you have to tell it what to say. For instance, when Siri starts an email, it asks for the subject line. If you ask ChatGPT to help you write an email, it creates the subject line for you. ChatGPT Voice takes a basic task even further by helping with complex problem-solving. For that reason, ChatGPT Voice can help you write the message you want Siri to send. The AI model performs tasks that require deeper analysis and understanding that Siri simply cannot do. capability to learn ChatGPT knows me so well it can profile its users. Despite Siri updates and software changes, it doesn't get to know users in the same way ChatGPT Voice can. ChatGPT learns from each interaction and improves its responses based on user preferences, making future conversations more tailored. Siri, despite regular software updates, doesn't learn from individual conversations in real time. Apple would need to implement real-time learning algorithms for Siri to provide more personalized, adaptive responses. Alternatively, and something I think we will see, is Apple partnering with OpenAI to hand over some of the more complex tasks to the more advanced model. ChatGPT knows me so well it can profile it's users. Despite Siri updates and software changes, it doesn't get to know users in the same way ChatGPT Voice can. Reason being, ChatGPT learns from its interactions in real-time and improves responses as it gathers data. Every interaction helps it to become better attuned to the specific preferences and conversational habits of each user. While Siri is adept at sending texts, setting reminders, and providing basic answers, ChatGPT Voice can help with complex tasks like problem-solving or composing detailed emails. ChatGPT's ability to create subject lines and analyze tasks beyond basic commands puts it a step ahead. Siri would need deeper machine learning capabilities to handle more analytical and creative tasks without user prompting. When Apple does adopt these capabilities Siri will be unstopable as it has something OpenAI can only dream of -- huge personal context. That is, a vast library of personal data from emails and text messages to downloads and notes. It can draw on all of that in a safe, locally secure way to improve its responses and be more helpful. ChatGPT Voice handles a vast number of languages fluently and can switch between them in a single conversation. Siri supports multiple languages but doesn't offer the same flexibility for switching mid-conversation or handling advanced translations. For Siri to compete, Apple would need to focus on improving its multilingual processing abilities. It does handle translation locally on-device, but this is still an add-on, not deeply integrated into the AI like ChatGPT's voice capabilities. Siri is limited to responding to questions and performing basic tasks while ChatGPT is generating the outline to your next novel. In short, Siri isn't capable of creative content generation or customized outputs because it isn't highly contextual like ChatGPT. From handling longer, contextual conversations to integrating multimodal abilities, ChatGPT Voice pushes the boundaries of what voice AI can achieve. While Siri remains an integral part of the Apple ecosystem, ChatGPT Voice offers more advanced features in terms of conversation complexity, multimodal capabilities, and problem-solving. For Siri to close the gap, Apple will need to invest in improving Siri's memory, contextual understanding, natural speech adaptability, and real-time learning capabilities.