“AI for the rest of us.” That’s how Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, described Apple Intelligence at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino. Unlike other tech companies focusing on enterprise solutions, Apple’s AI vision prioritizes the consumer.
Speaking at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Federighi revealed that Apple Intelligence, the beta version of which will be available for iPhone 15 Pro or better devices this fall, includes features such as writing tools, a new Photos app, image and emoji generation, and integration with ChatGPT. Siri, Apple’s personal assistant, will become more conversational and context-aware.
Privacy is at the core of Apple Intelligence. Apple emphasizes on-device processing and secure cloud computing, differing from the data-driven approach of other big tech firms. Prabhu Ram, Head of the Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research, highlights that Apple’s privacy-centric infrastructure supports complex tasks while adhering strictly to privacy standards.
Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, agrees, noting that Apple’s on-device AI narrative bolsters its privacy commitment. Apple leverages its chip expertise and hardware-software synergy, focusing on smaller generative models rather than a frontier large language model (LLM). Apple also developed a larger server-based model accessible via private cloud compute on Apple silicon servers.
For complex prompts, Siri can tap into ChatGPT, marking a strategic collaboration with OpenAI. This integration indicates Apple’s openness to leveraging external AI capabilities while developing its own models, potentially paving the way for future collaborations with other AI models like Google’s Gemini.
Before using external AI capabilities, Apple ensures user consent with a notification. Apple uses ‘private cloud compute’ to ensure data privacy, with user data never stored and IP addresses obfuscated during cloud interactions. If users link their OpenAI account, OpenAI’s data policies apply.
Pathak praises Apple’s transparency in prompting user consent, emphasizing the importance of user awareness. As AI adoption grows, impending regulations will require companies to navigate compliance in various regions, a challenge Apple must address as it rolls out Apple Intelligence globally.
While not the first to offer these features, Apple’s focus on privacy, security, and seamless user experience across devices builds trust and credibility, driving wider adoption of Gen AI. Apple’s user-centric approach may be the ideal way for the average customer to understand AI’s potential.
