Apple is set to unveil its most significant new product of the year, which is not a $3,500 headset but rather a suite of artificial intelligence software tools called Apple Intelligence. This will be rolled out through free software updates for certain iPhones, Macs, and iPads later this month.
The initial release of Apple Intelligence, labeled as an unfinished “beta” version, will enhance Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, and introduce new functionalities. These include automatic text summarization, audio transcription, and tools to eliminate distractions from photos.
This launch marks a pivotal moment for Apple, following a substantial reorganization of the company nearly two years after the tech world was shaken by the emergence of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Apple’s executives expressed concerns that without integrating similar AI capabilities, the iPhone might soon feel outdated. Consequently, the company abandoned its decade-long self-driving car project and redirected its engineers toward developing Apple Intelligence.
While many highly anticipated features unveiled in June will not be part of the initial release, the company has partnered with OpenAI to include ChatGPT in future updates. However, Siri is currently unable to perform complex tasks like aggregating data from multiple apps to assist with scheduling conflicts. Apple indicated that more advanced features would be gradually introduced throughout next year.
To get an early look, I tested an early version of Apple Intelligence and found the new tools integrated into various parts of Apple’s software, including editing features for text and images.
Apple Intelligence includes a much-awaited feature that allows the voice memos app to automatically generate transcripts of recorded audio. As a journalist, I was eager to try this tool, and it functioned effectively. During a recent meeting with a tech company, I recorded the conversation, and upon stopping the recording, a neatly formatted transcript was ready. Apple Intelligence accurately identified different speakers and organized the text into paragraphs. While it occasionally misinterpreted mumbling, the overall transcript made it easy to locate keywords from the discussion.
Navigating Apple’s increasingly complex software can be challenging, but Apple Intelligence enhances Siri’s ability to provide guidance on using Apple products. For example, when I asked Siri how to enable split-screen mode on my iPad, it quickly provided me with step-by-step instructions.
However, there was a moment of irony when Siri couldn’t help with using Apple Intelligence for email rewriting. Instead, it displayed Google search results with instructions from other websites.
One of the most talked-about features of Apple Intelligence is the ability to edit photos by removing distractions, such as photobombers. While many will be eager to try this “Clean Up” tool, the results may disappoint. For instance, I tested it on a family photo from a wedding. The tool successfully removed the background people but replaced them with an unrecognizable patch of pixels. In another attempt with a picture of my corgi, the tool eliminated a blanket and left a bizarre, unflattering image of the couch.
