Apple Opens AI Models to Developers, Unveils Major Software Design Overhaul

Apple to give app developers access to its artificial intelligence models

Apple will allow millions of app developers to access its artificial intelligence models for the first time, as the tech giant looks to capitalise on its vast hardware and software ecosystem to give it an edge over its competitors. Speaking at its developer event in Cupertino on Monday, chief executive Tim Cook said the company was looking to "harness the power of Apple Intelligence", referring to an AI overhaul of its software that was first announced at last year's event. Developers would be able to test the features starting on June 9, with a full rollout for consumers in the autumn, Cook said. The AI features are only available on recent models of the iPhone. Apple software chief Craig Federighi said that opening its AI models to third parties would "ignite a whole new wave of intelligent experiences in the apps users rely on every day". The models run locally on Apple's devices, meaning they do not need to access a cloud server or a network connection -- something the company has emphasised as a significant privacy and security benefit. Federighi gave the example of a puzzle app building a personalised quiz for a user based on the notes on their device, or a hiking app choosing a trail for a user based on their personal preferences when they do not have reception. Access to Apple's AI models will initially be limited to the smaller ones that work locally on its devices. It has also built larger cloud-based models, which cannot run natively on devices due to the massive computing power required. Analysts have long questioned how Apple might integrate and eventually monetise AI features into its App Store business, which brought more than $30bn in revenue for the company in 2024, according to Bank of America estimates. Apple is also introducing live AI translation of calls and messages using models running locally on the user's device, as well as a number of other incremental updates such as allowing its "Visual Search" feature to engage with content on a user's screen. Separately, Apple is overhauling and unifying the look of its different operating systems in what it calls its "broadest software design update ever". It uses an aesthetic dubbed "Liquid Glass", inspired by the Vision Pro operating system. The latest push into the AI space comes as investors are concerned that Apple risks falling behind in a technological race with the likes of Google, Samsung and Huawei to offer "AI smartphones". The initial "Apple Intelligence" rollout has hit snags, and a more advanced and conversational Siri voice assistant, announced at last year's conference, has yet to be rolled out. On Monday there was no mention of the updated Siri, widely seen as crucial to opening true "agentic" AI abilities on the iPhone. Apple shares were down 1.4 per cent on Monday afternoon.

Apple to open up underlying AI technology to developers

Apple said on Monday it will open up the underlying technology it uses for Apple Intelligence. Apple software chief Craig Federighi said the company is opening up the foundational AI model that it uses for some of its own features to third-party developers. "This work needed more time to reach our high quality bar," Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said of the delays of some features such as improved Siri. Apple is facing an unprecedented set of technical and regulatory challenges as some of its key executives kicked off the company's annual software developer conference on Monday. Federighi also said Apple plans a design overhaul of all of its operating systems.

Apple to open up underlying AI technology to developers

CUPERTINO, California (Reuters) -Apple said on Monday it will open up the underlying technology it uses for Apple Intelligence and announced an overhaul of its operating systems. Apple software chief Craig Federighi said the company is opening up the foundational AI model that it uses for some of its own features to third-party developers. "This work needed more time to reach our high quality bar," Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said of the delays of some features such as improvements to the Siri virtual assistant. Apple is facing an unprecedented set of technical and regulatory challenges as some of its key executives kicked off the company's annual software developer conference on Monday. Shares of Apple, which were flat before the conference, slipped 1.5% after executives took the stage. Federighi also said Apple plans a design overhaul of all of its operating systems. Apple's redesign of its operating systems centered on a design it calls "liquid glass" where icons and menus are partially transparent, a step Apple executives said was possible because of the more powerful custom chips in Apple devices versus a decade ago. Federighi said the new design will span operating systems for iPhones, Macs and other Apple products. He also said Apple's operating systems will be given year names instead of sequential numbers for each version. That will unify naming conventions that have become confusing because Apple's core operating systems for phones, watches and other devices kicked off at different times, resulting in a smattering of differently numbered operating systems for different products. (Reporting by Stephen Nellis and Kenrick Cai in Cupertino, California; Additional reporting by Aditya Soni and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Kenneth Li and Matthew Lewis)