WWDC 2024 updates: Apple renamed AI to AI

Apple has introduced Apple Intelligence, a new AI system announced at WWDC 2024. This technology offers personalized intelligence, seamlessly adapting to individual user needs and enhancing device interaction. Notably, Apple has chosen to name it "Apple Intelligence" instead of the usual "Artificial Intelligence," highlighting their unique approach to AI.
Apple Intelligence integrates seamlessly within iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. By harnessing the capabilities of Apple silicon, it comprehends and generates language and imagery, performs actions across various applications, and utilizes user context to streamline and expedite everyday tasks.

Writing Tools

Apple Intelligence introduces Writing Tools, a new systemwide feature available in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. Writing Tools empowers users to improve their written communication across various applications, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps.

These tools encompass functions for rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing text. Whether crafting class notes, refining blog posts, or ensuring professional emails, Writing Tools fosters user confidence in their writing.

• Rewrite: Users can choose from different versions of their writing to adjust the tone for their audience.
• Proofread: Checks grammar, word choice, and sentence structure and suggests edits.
• Summarize: Creates concise summaries of selected text in paragraph, bullet point, table, or list formats.

In Mail, managing emails has been streamlined. Priority Messages, situated at the top of the inbox, highlight urgent emails such as same-day dinner invitations or boarding passes. Users can now view summaries of emails across their inbox without the need to open each message to read the first few lines. Pertinent details within lengthy email threads can be accessed with a single tap. Smart Reply offers quick response suggestions and detects questions within emails to ensure comprehensive responses.

Deep comprehension of language extends to Notifications as well. Priority Notifications are displayed at the top of the stack to highlight critical information. Summaries assist users in scanning lengthy or stacked notifications, displaying key details directly on the Lock Screen, such as heightened activity in a group chat. Additionally, to aid users in maintaining focus, Reduce Interruptions is a new Focus feature that presents only notifications requiring immediate attention, such as a message regarding an early pickup from daycare.

In the Notes and Phone applications, users are now able to record, transcribe, and summarize audio. When a recording is initiated during a call, participants are automatically notified. Subsequently, upon the conclusion of the call, Apple Intelligence generates a summary to aid in recalling key points.

Image Playground

Apple Intelligence enables innovative image creation capabilities to facilitate novel modes of communication and self-expression. Through Image Playground, users can swiftly generate playful images by selecting from three distinct styles: Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. Integrated seamlessly into apps like Messages, Image Playground offers ease of use. Additionally, it is accessible via a dedicated app, ideal for exploring various concepts and styles. All images are crafted on device, granting users the liberty to experiment with an unlimited number of creations.

Image Playground offers users a diverse array of options, encompassing themes, costumes, accessories, and locations. Users can delineate an image by typing a description, incorporating individuals from their personal photo library, and selecting their preferred style.

Within the Image Playground interface integrated into Messages, users can swiftly craft entertaining images for their contacts. Moreover, they can receive personalized concept suggestions pertinent to ongoing conversations. For instance, if discussing a group hiking expedition, the user will receive concept recommendations tailored to their friends, destination, and activity, enhancing the speed and relevance of image creation.

On the iPhone 15 Pro, Image Playground functionality within Messages is exemplified. A generated image portrays the user's mother depicted as a superhero.

In Notes, Image Playground is accessible via the new Image Wand within the Apple Pencil tool palette, augmenting the visual appeal of notes. Sketches can be transformed into charming images, and users have the option to select empty space to generate an image utilizing context from the surrounding content. Additionally, Image Playground is accessible in apps such as Keynote, Freeform, and Pages, as well as in third-party applications adopting the new Image Playground API.

Genmoji

Users now have the ability to craft personalized Genmoji, transcending the conventional use of emojis. By inputting a description, their unique Genmoji materializes, accompanied by supplementary choices. Users can extend this feature to generate Genmoji representations of friends and family members using their respective photographs. Similar to emojis, Genmoji can be seamlessly integrated into messages, shared as stickers, or utilized as reactions within Tapbacks.

New Features in Photos 

Enhancing photo and video searches, Apple Intelligence introduces greater convenience. Users can employ natural language to search for precise images, like "Maya skateboarding in a tie-dye shirt" or "Katie with stickers on her face." Moreover, video search capabilities are bolstered, enabling users to locate specific moments within clips swiftly. Furthermore, the new Clean Up tool adeptly identifies and eliminates distracting background objects in photos while preserving the subject intact.

Memories empowers users to curate personalized narratives effortlessly by inputting a description. Leveraging language and image comprehension, Apple Intelligence discerns optimal photos and videos corresponding to the description. It constructs a narrative with chapters delineated by themes derived from the images, arranging them into a cohesive movie with its own storyline. Moreover, users receive song recommendations from Apple Music to complement their memory. As with all Apple Intelligence functionalities, user media remains private on device and is not shared with Apple or any external parties.

Siri

Leveraging Apple Intelligence, Siri achieves deeper integration into the system experience. With enhanced language-comprehension capabilities, Siri demonstrates increased naturalness, contextual relevance, and personalization, facilitating the simplification and acceleration of daily tasks. It adeptly maintains continuity, even amidst verbal stumbles, and retains context across multiple requests. Moreover, users have the flexibility to interact with Siri via typing, seamlessly transitioning between text and voice communication as needed. Sporting a fresh design featuring an elegant glowing light encircling the screen edge during activation, Siri offers device support and addresses a plethora of queries regarding iPhone, iPad, and Mac functionalities. Users can seek guidance on tasks ranging from scheduling emails in the Mail app to toggling between Light and Dark Mode. With onscreen awareness, Siri continually expands its capability to comprehend and act upon user content across various applications. For instance, if a friend shares a new address via Messages, recipients can instruct Siri to incorporate the information into the contact card with ease.

Through Apple Intelligence, Siri gains the capacity to execute numerous new functions within both Apple and third-party applications. For instance, users can instruct Siri to "Retrieve the article about cicadas from my Reading List" or "Send the photos from the barbecue on Saturday to Malia," and Siri will execute the tasks accordingly.

Moreover, Siri will furnish tailored intelligence based on user-specific on-device data. For instance, users can request Siri to "Play the podcast Jamie recommended," and Siri will locate and play the recommended episode, obviating the need for users to recall whether the recommendation was communicated via text or email. Alternatively, users can inquire about "Mom's flight landing time," and Siri will retrieve the flight details and cross-reference them with real-time flight tracking to provide an accurate arrival time.

New Standard for Privacy in AI

For Apple Intelligence to provide genuine assistance, it relies on a profound understanding of personal context while prioritizing user privacy. A fundamental principle of Apple Intelligence is its reliance on on-device processing, with many of its operational models functioning exclusively on the device itself. Private Cloud Compute, however, extends the privacy and security measures of Apple devices to the cloud to enable more sophisticated computational tasks.

Through Private Cloud Compute, Apple Intelligence gains the ability to adapt and expand its computational capabilities, utilizing larger, server-based models for complex requests. These models operate on servers powered by Apple silicon, ensuring that data remains safeguarded and inaccessible.

The transparency of Private Cloud Compute extends to independent scrutiny of the code running on Apple silicon servers to verify privacy protections. Cryptographic measures further ensure that communication between iPhones, iPads, and Macs and the server only occurs if the software has been publicly logged for examination. Apple Intelligence, coupled with Private Cloud Compute, establishes a new benchmark for privacy in artificial intelligence, delivering trustworthy intelligence that users can rely on.