Apple unveils transformative AI software update for devices

Apple has released its Apple Intelligence software update, now accessible on iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices.

Apple Intelligence marks a significant step as it leverages Apple silicon to enhance personal devices' capabilities in language and image understanding, while prioritising user privacy. The rollout includes a suite of features as part of the new iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 updates.

Tim Cook, Chief Executive Officer of Apple, commented, "Apple Intelligence introduces a new era for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, delivering brand-new experiences and tools that will transform what our users can accomplish. Apple Intelligence builds on years of innovation in AI and machine learning to put Apple's generative models at the core of our devices, giving our users a personal intelligence system that is easy to use — all while protecting their privacy. Apple Intelligence is generative AI in a way that only Apple can deliver, and we're incredibly excited about its ability to enrich our users' lives."

Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Apple, elaborated on the new capabilities, "Apple Intelligence unlocks exciting new capabilities that make your iPhone, iPad, and Mac even more helpful and useful, from Writing Tools to help refine your writing, to summarised notifications that surface what's most important, to the ability to search for almost anything in your photos and videos by simply describing it. And it's all built on a foundation of privacy with on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute, a groundbreaking new approach that extends the privacy and security of iPhone into the cloud to protect users' information. We are thrilled to bring the first set of Apple Intelligence features to users today, and this is just the beginning."

The Writing Tools feature is integrated across Apple's operating systems, offering functionalities like rewriting, proofreading, and summarising text across a variety of applications including Mail, Messages, Notes, Pages, and more. It allows users to adjust text tone and offers grammar and word choice suggestions.

Siri has received enhancements to its design and interaction capabilities, offering a more natural experience. Users can now engage with Siri using text or voice in a seamless manner, access extensive product knowledge, and receive contextual answers to queries about Apple's features and settings.

The Photos app now includes enhanced search capabilities allowing users to find photos and videos by describing them in natural language. The Clean Up tool is introduced to help remove unwanted elements from images, while the Memories feature can create storylines in movies based on user descriptions.

Email management is improved with Priority Messages in the Mail app, which highlights urgent emails, and users can summarise emails directly in the inbox. Notification summaries on the Lock Screen help users stay focused by prioritising important alerts.

New updates expected in December will introduce expanded language support and innovative visual features, including the ability to use machine learning tools like ChatGPT within Apple Intelligence. Users will have options for further personalisation through interactions with emojis and visual elements through tools like Image Wand and Camera Control.

Apple emphasizes privacy with on-device processing and the introduction of Private Cloud Compute for requests requiring additional processing, ensuring users maintain control over personal data. The integration of third-party tools like ChatGPT is designed to respect user privacy, with options to obscure user data.

Apple Intelligence currently supports U.S. English with plans to expand language support to many other languages by the next year. The feature supports recent Apple devices including iPhone 16 and newer, as well as iPads and Macs equipped with A17 Pro, M1, or later processors.