Apple is racing around the clock to include as many generative AI features as possible across the board particularly for the iOS 18 and macOS 15 updates, according to a new Bloomberg report covering the company’s AI plans.
The generative AI push with iOS 18 and beyond is spearheaded by Craig FederighiCraig Federighi is Apple's SVP of Software Engineering, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering. Federighi has been urging his group to come up with as many generative AI features as possible for the company’s next crop of major software releases in time for WWDC 2024.
Those AI capabilities will reportedly be the main point of focus with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, the report adds. Some of these features will also make their way to the macOS 15 update, although more advanced generative AI features will take “years” before they are publicly available across Apple’s platforms.
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Apple’s next iPhone and iPad software updates — iOS and iPadOS 18 — will include a slew of new AI features, according to the people. The company is planning to tout the software, codenamed Crystal, as one of the most significant updates in the 16-year history of the iPhone.
Bloomberg
In addition to generative AI features heading to Xcode and more, Apple is early stages of working on a “revamped version” of Spotlight search based on Large Language Models (LLMs). The overhaul calls for Spotlight to be able to contextually respond to more complex input requests from users and the ability to perform certain tasks from apps right from Spotlight’s search prompt without the need to fully launch those apps.
Early designs of the Spotlight overhaul include using LLMs to answer more complex questions and the ability to tap deeper into apps to launch specific functions. The current version of Spotlight is mostly limited to launching apps, making basic web searches and pulling up information like the weather and sports scores.
Bloomberg
These LLM-enabled capabilities are also rumored to be heading to Siri as soon as iOS 18, which should enable Apple’s voice assistant to better understand queries contextually. An LLM-powered Siri could also gain text autogeneration and summarization features, which were made popular thanks to competing AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
The company is deliberating whether to pursue a wholly on-device large language model (LLM) to prioritize speed and privacy, or to opt for a cloud-based setup for enhanced capabilities. The former choice could limit quick adaptability in a rapidly evolving industry, potentially steering Apple towards a hybrid approach. This would involve leveraging on-device processing for specific functions while utilizing the cloud for more sophisticated tasks.
Earlier this month, Tim Cook stated that Apple is “excited” to publicly share its work on generative AI later this year. The breadth of AI features heading to iOS 18 has made some people within the company refer to the update as one of the biggest in iPhone’s history.
