Apple's AI Ambitions: 10 Key Features Needed to Compete with OpenAI and Google

My Apple Intelligence wishlist: 10 features it needs to compete with OpenAI and Google

I've tracked Apple Intelligence's evolution closely during recent months, evaluating its potential and limitations. Across various articles, I've explored the challenges Apple faces as it expands into artificial intelligence (AI), from the early efforts seen in the iPhone 16 to the long-term business potential and adoption of the Vision Pro platform. While Apple Intelligence has laid important groundwork, many anticipated features remain incomplete or underwhelming, particularly compared to the more advanced cloud-based AI platforms from OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft. Also: Apple Intelligence arrives next month: 6 AI upgrades iPhone users can expect first Apple's focus on on-device processing and privacy for Apple Intelligence is its greatest strength and also its biggest limitation. Despite impressive hardware advancements in the iPhone 16 and Apple Silicon's neural engine, Apple Intelligence is still in its infancy, lacking the integration, third-party support, and developer tools needed to compete with its cloud-based rivals. This top 10 feature "wishlist" explores the next steps Apple could take to elevate its generative AI (Gen AI) platform from a promising, transitional product to a powerful, versatile AI ecosystem. I also assess each improvement's technical and strategic feasibility by drawing on recent discussions about Apple's health, finance, and media direction. Also: Gemini Live is rolling out to all Android users - for free. Here's how to access it Whether you're a developer, tech enthusiast, or simply curious about AI's future, these recommendations aim to address the gaps Apple must fill to remain a leader in the AI race. While Apple Intelligence's writing tools provide basic functionality like text rewrites and proofreading, future enhancements could leverage Regenerative AI/Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) APIs to introduce more sophisticated features. This would include real-time grammar corrections, tone adjustments, and specialized models trained on industry-specific languages, such as legal or medical terminology. By integrating specialized dictionaries and corporate knowledge into apps like Mail, Notes, and Pages, professionals and students could create highly accurate, context-aware content that adapts to their field of expertise. This would revolutionize workflows by enabling more advanced data sourcing, rewriting, and content generation. Use Case: A legal professional drafting a contract could use AI to generate text based on legal standards and pull relevant case law or references from secure corporate databases. Similarly, a medical researcher could enhance their papers with precise terminology and industry knowledge, all sourced and verified by a specialized AI model. Siri could handle complex multi-step workflows through simple voice commands. For example, users could ask Siri to "prepare my day", which would schedule meetings, prioritize emails, set reminders, and suggest routes based on traffic. Proactive notifications would intelligently filter and surface the most relevant alerts based on real-time user activity, minimizing unnecessary distractions. Use Case: Imagine telling Siri to "schedule my meetings". It will automatically handle all your emails, send invites, and reschedule conflicting events based on priority -- all via a simple voice command. Also: The iPhone 16 is undeniably great hardware - but you should still probably skip it As AI becomes more integrated into daily use, Apple can enhance its privacy and security controls, allowing users to customize how AI interacts with personal data. Users could have granular control over what information third-party apps can access and how this data is used, ensuring all AI interactions comply with privacy expectations. Use Case: A user can adjust permissions so that Siri only accesses their calendar data for scheduling tasks but does not access messages or locations, ensuring maximum privacy control without compromising functionality. Also: The 7 best iOS 18 features that will make updating your iPhone worthwhile AI could combine financial management tools with real-time fraud detection. AI would help users track spending, provide budgeting advice, and send predictive financial alerts while monitoring transactions for unusual or fraudulent activity. This would bring AI to Apple Wallet and Pay, making these tools more secure and user-friendly. Use Case: Apple Wallet could automatically alert users to suspicious activity in their accounts and AI could provide personalized budgeting advice based on spending patterns, helping users achieve their financial goals. Also: Every iPhone model that will be updated to Apple's iOS 18 (and which ones won't) AI could provide real-time diagnostics and predictive health insights by leveraging the rich sensor data from the Apple Watch. AI would analyze sleep patterns, heart rate, and activity levels, alerting users to health issues like irregular heartbeats or recommending optimal workouts based on past performance and current fitness levels. Use Case: AI could alert users if their heart rate is irregular during a workout and suggest modifying their routine. It could also offer personalized workout plans based on their health data to help them reach their fitness goals. Also: The 4 biggest new health features Apple just announced For creative professionals, AI could streamline tasks in Apple's creativity tools, such as Final Cut Pro and GarageBand. AI could automate video editing, sound mixing, and effects generation, suggesting edits based on user preferences and creative style. This approach would allow users to focus on the creative aspects of their work, leaving repetitive tasks to the AI. Use Case: A filmmaker using Final Cut Pro could have AI automatically cut clips, color correct scenes, and apply filters based on their past projects or creative preferences, dramatically reducing editing time. Also: Want Apple's new AI features without buying a new iPhone? Try this app Apple's AI could help users track and reduce their environmental impact by collecting data from HomeKit and Matter-enabled devices, EVs, and smart meters. AI could analyze energy consumption, recommend eco-friendly alternatives, and offer personalized sustainability tips based on user behavior and device usage patterns. Use Case: A user's HomeKit system could work with their EV to optimize charging during off-peak hours, and AI would provide recommendations for reducing energy consumption throughout the day. Also: Your Apple Watch is getting an upgrade - here are the best features in WatchOS 11 AI could further enhance accessibility for users with disabilities by adapting device interfaces and content dynamically. Real-time captioning, gesture recognition, and adaptive learning environments could help students and users with disabilities interact with Apple devices more easily. AI could also support personalized learning, adapting content presentation based on individual needs. Use Case: A student with a hearing impairment could use real-time captioning during online classes or lectures, while AI adapts learning materials to suit their individual needs. Also: Your AirPods Pro 2 can soon double as over-the-counter hearing aids. Here's how Apple could launch a dedicated Gen AI Store for AI-powered apps, enabling users to discover and download AI-driven applications for tasks like personal assistance, home automation, and media recommendations. This would also extend AI functionality to Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as HomePod and Apple TV, allowing AI to automate daily routines and personalize experiences across the home. Use Case: A user could download a home automation AI from the Gen AI Store, which coordinates energy usage and home activities based on daily routines, and learning patterns to optimize efficiency. Also: Buying an Apple Watch Series 10? Consider these 3 features before upgrading AI could make Apple devices more intuitive by learning from user habits and behaviors. AI would provide personalized suggestions for apps, settings, and actions, such as suggesting a playlist during a workout or optimizing settings for focus when work hours are detected. Use Case: AI could recognize when a user typically works out, automatically suggesting their preferred workout playlist and adjusting device settings like Do Not Disturb to enhance focus. Similarly, AI could learn a user's work routine and suggest apps or contacts frequently used during work hours, streamlining daily tasks. Also: Two reasons why I'm thrilled that there's no new Apple Watch Ultra or AirPods Pro Apple Intelligence is on the cusp of transforming how we interact with devices, but it remains a work in progress. This wishlist highlights the key areas where Apple can make meaningful strides, from enhanced developer integration to expanding AI's role in health, finance, and accessibility. Also: Apple delivers on hardware upgrades but punts Apple Intelligence rollout While Apple's focus on privacy and on-device processing sets it apart, the company must embrace a broader AI strategy to meet user expectations. By addressing these gaps, Apple can solidify its leadership in AI and deliver an ecosystem that's both secure and innovative, driving the next wave of intelligent user experiences.

Here's My Dream List of Features for Apple Intelligence

4 Reasons Why the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Is Still Better Than Series 10 Quick LinksMore Image Editing Tools More Realistic Image Generation Call Screening Better Live Translation Features The Option to Choose Your Third-Party LLM I'm really excited about the release of Apple Intelligence, but I believe there's plenty of room for improvement. Apple could add several features to make it even better. Here are my ideas on what could take Apple's suite of AI features to the next level. 1 More Image Editing Tools Apple Intelligence offers just one major image-editing feature called Clean Up, which is similar to Google's Magic Eraser, allowing you to remove unwanted objects from photos. While it's a welcome addition, it doesn't feel groundbreaking, especially since Google and Samsung have offered similar tools for quite a while now. Beyond Clean Up, Apple Intelligence offers very little in terms of photo editing tools. In contrast, the Google Pixel 9 has many amazing AI features, like Add Me, which ensures everyone is included in group photos, or Reimagine, which lets you replace parts of an image just by describing it with a text prompt. It would be great if Apple could take inspiration from Google and introduce similar features. As someone who isn't very skilled at editing photos, I'd love a feature that lets me generate filters based on a text prompt. I could describe which colors I want to stand out more or the kind of vibe I'm aiming for, and the AI model would create a filter to match that description. 2 More Realistic Image Generation Apple also introduced a new app called Image Playground as part of Apple Intelligence, allowing users to generate images from a text prompt in three different art styles: Animation, Illustration, and Sketch. It integrates smoothly with apps like Messages and even third-party platforms. While the implementation is well done, I'm not a fan of the results. The art styles feel too cartoonish for my taste, and I can't see myself using Image Playground to create images and send them to friends or family. Although the model works well for Genmojis, which lets you create completely new personalized emojis via a text prompt, there should be more realistic art styles available. One possible reason for this is that the image diffusion model runs on-device for better privacy. However, I wouldn't mind a more realistic image generation model that runs on Apple's Private Cloud Compute to handle the higher computational demands, which also deletes all your data after processing your requests. 3 Call Screening One of my favorite features on the Google Pixel is call screening, where Google Assistant answers calls for you and provides a live transcript, helping you decide whether to take the call. It can even pick up calls from unknown numbers for you, and if it detects that it's a robocall or a spam call, Google Assistant will automatically hang up the call without ever bothering you. It would be great if Siri could do something similar and generate automatic replies based on context. For example, if your iPhone knows you're out, Siri could automatically ask a delivery person to leave the package at your door. Unfortunately, Apple Intelligence is currently limited to generating a transcript and providing a summary of a phone call, but this is an area Apple should consider expanding into. 4 Better Live Translation Features While you can use the built-in Translate app for basic tasks, like typing text and having it read aloud in another language, I can't help but feel Apple Intelligence could contribute much more. What I'd really like to see are real-time translation tools that work system-wide. A great example is Samsung's Live Translate, which can transcribe and translate conversations in real time during phone calls. Google also offers similar features that work seamlessly across multiple apps, with all the processing happening on-device. Since both Samsung and Google have already implemented this, and their models run efficiently on-device, I don't see why Apple hasn't focused on translation features with Apple Intelligence. 5 The Option to Choose Your Third-Party LLM Although Siri is getting a major upgrade with features like on-screen awareness, it still might not handle every request. To fill those gaps, it uses ChatGPT as a fallback to generate responses or answer questions about photos or documents. While ChatGPT is great, I wish I could choose which third-party LLM I want to use, similar to how you can change your default search engine. We've already seen ChatGPT alternatives that excel at specific tasks. It would be even better if users could set preferences for different tasks; for example, automatically using Claude for image-related questions but switching to Gemini or ChatGPT for text generation. So, these are the features I'd love to see on Apple Intelligence. That said, there's still plenty to look forward to as we see how Apple's AI suite stacks up against Google's and Samsung's offerings. Although not publicly available, you can try Apple Intelligence in the iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 betas. Just remember that your experience may not be entirely stable, as these are still early experimental builds.

10 features Apple Intelligence needs to actually compete with OpenAI and Google

I've tracked Apple Intelligence's evolution closely during recent months, evaluating its potential and limitations. Across various articles, I've explored the challenges Apple faces as it expands into artificial intelligence (AI), from the early efforts seen in the iPhone 16 to the long-term business potential and adoption of the Vision Pro platform. While Apple Intelligence has laid important groundwork, many anticipated features remain incomplete or underwhelming, particularly compared to the more advanced cloud-based AI platforms from OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft. Also: Apple Intelligence arrives next month: 6 AI upgrades iPhone users can expect first Apple's focus on on-device processing and privacy for Apple Intelligence is its greatest strength and also its biggest limitation. Despite impressive hardware advancements in the iPhone 16 and Apple Silicon's neural engine, Apple Intelligence is still in its infancy, lacking the integration, third-party support, and developer tools needed to compete with its cloud-based rivals. This top 10 feature "wishlist" explores the next steps Apple could take to elevate its generative AI (Gen AI) platform from a promising, transitional product to a powerful, versatile AI ecosystem. I also assess each improvement's technical and strategic feasibility by drawing on recent discussions about Apple's health, finance, and media direction. Also: Gemini Live is rolling out to all Android users - for free. Here's how to access it Whether you're a developer, tech enthusiast, or simply curious about AI's future, these recommendations aim to address the gaps Apple must fill to remain a leader in the AI race. While Apple Intelligence's writing tools provide basic functionality like text rewrites and proofreading, future enhancements could leverage Regenerative AI/Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) APIs to introduce more sophisticated features. This would include real-time grammar corrections, tone adjustments, and specialized models trained on industry-specific languages, such as legal or medical terminology. By integrating specialized dictionaries and corporate knowledge into apps like Mail, Notes, and Pages, professionals and students could create highly accurate, context-aware content that adapts to their field of expertise. This would revolutionize workflows by enabling more advanced data sourcing, rewriting, and content generation. Use Case: A legal professional drafting a contract could use AI to generate text based on legal standards and pull relevant case law or references from secure corporate databases. Similarly, a medical researcher could enhance their papers with precise terminology and industry knowledge, all sourced and verified by a specialized AI model. Siri could handle complex multi-step workflows through simple voice commands. For example, users could ask Siri to "prepare my day", which would schedule meetings, prioritize emails, set reminders, and suggest routes based on traffic. Proactive notifications would intelligently filter and surface the most relevant alerts based on real-time user activity, minimizing unnecessary distractions. Use Case: Imagine telling Siri to "schedule my meetings". It will automatically handle all your emails, send invites, and reschedule conflicting events based on priority -- all via a simple voice command. Also: The iPhone 16 is undeniably great hardware - but you should still probably skip it As AI becomes more integrated into daily use, Apple can enhance its privacy and security controls, allowing users to customize how AI interacts with personal data. Users could have granular control over what information third-party apps can access and how this data is used, ensuring all AI interactions comply with privacy expectations. Use Case: A user can adjust permissions so that Siri only accesses their calendar data for scheduling tasks but does not access messages or locations, ensuring maximum privacy control without compromising functionality. Also: The 7 best iOS 18 features that will make updating your iPhone worthwhile AI could combine financial management tools with real-time fraud detection. AI would help users track spending, provide budgeting advice, and send predictive financial alerts while monitoring transactions for unusual or fraudulent activity. This would bring AI to Apple Wallet and Pay, making these tools more secure and user-friendly. Use Case: Apple Wallet could automatically alert users to suspicious activity in their accounts and AI could provide personalized budgeting advice based on spending patterns, helping users achieve their financial goals. Also: Every iPhone model that will be updated to Apple's iOS 18 (and which ones won't) AI could provide real-time diagnostics and predictive health insights by leveraging the rich sensor data from the Apple Watch. AI would analyze sleep patterns, heart rate, and activity levels, alerting users to health issues like irregular heartbeats or recommending optimal workouts based on past performance and current fitness levels. Use Case: AI could alert users if their heart rate is irregular during a workout and suggest modifying their routine. It could also offer personalized workout plans based on their health data to help them reach their fitness goals. Also: The 4 biggest new health features Apple just announced For creative professionals, AI could streamline tasks in Apple's creativity tools, such as Final Cut Pro and GarageBand. AI could automate video editing, sound mixing, and effects generation, suggesting edits based on user preferences and creative style. This approach would allow users to focus on the creative aspects of their work, leaving repetitive tasks to the AI. Use Case: A filmmaker using Final Cut Pro could have AI automatically cut clips, color correct scenes, and apply filters based on their past projects or creative preferences, dramatically reducing editing time. Also: Want Apple's new AI features without buying a new iPhone? Try this app Apple's AI could help users track and reduce their environmental impact by collecting data from HomeKit and Matter-enabled devices, EVs, and smart meters. AI could analyze energy consumption, recommend eco-friendly alternatives, and offer personalized sustainability tips based on user behavior and device usage patterns. Use Case: A user's HomeKit system could work with their EV to optimize charging during off-peak hours, and AI would provide recommendations for reducing energy consumption throughout the day. Also: Your Apple Watch is getting an upgrade - here are the best features in WatchOS 11 AI could further enhance accessibility for users with disabilities by adapting device interfaces and content dynamically. Real-time captioning, gesture recognition, and adaptive learning environments could help students and users with disabilities interact with Apple devices more easily. AI could also support personalized learning, adapting content presentation based on individual needs. Use Case: A student with a hearing impairment could use real-time captioning during online classes or lectures, while AI adapts learning materials to suit their individual needs. Also: Your AirPods Pro 2 can soon double as over-the-counter hearing aids. Here's how Apple could launch a dedicated Gen AI Store for AI-powered apps, enabling users to discover and download AI-driven applications for tasks like personal assistance, home automation, and media recommendations. This would also extend AI functionality to Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as HomePod and Apple TV, allowing AI to automate daily routines and personalize experiences across the home. Use Case: A user could download a home automation AI from the Gen AI Store, which coordinates energy usage and home activities based on daily routines, and learning patterns to optimize efficiency. Also: Buying an Apple Watch Series 10? Consider these 3 features before upgrading AI could make Apple devices more intuitive by learning from user habits and behaviors. AI would provide personalized suggestions for apps, settings, and actions, such as suggesting a playlist during a workout or optimizing settings for focus when work hours are detected. Use Case: AI could recognize when a user typically works out, automatically suggesting their preferred workout playlist and adjusting device settings like Do Not Disturb to enhance focus. Similarly, AI could learn a user's work routine and suggest apps or contacts frequently used during work hours, streamlining daily tasks. Also: Two reasons why I'm thrilled that there's no new Apple Watch Ultra or AirPods Pro Apple Intelligence is on the cusp of transforming how we interact with devices, but it remains a work in progress. This wishlist highlights the key areas where Apple can make meaningful strides, from enhanced developer integration to expanding AI's role in health, finance, and accessibility. Also: Apple delivers on hardware upgrades but punts Apple Intelligence rollout While Apple's focus on privacy and on-device processing sets it apart, the company must embrace a broader AI strategy to meet user expectations. By addressing these gaps, Apple can solidify its leadership in AI and deliver an ecosystem that's both secure and innovative, driving the next wave of intelligent user experiences.