Sursa foto: Unsplash / Solen Feyissa
Imagine asking Apple's Siri to show you an old photo taken at your child's second birthday party or to summarize lengthy emails and writing drafts for you. Now, envision Siri learning your schedule, preferences, and even your personality to better communicate with you throughout the day.
Generative artificial intelligence, which can provide thoughtful and detailed responses to questions and requests, could breathe new life into Apple's iPhone lineup at a time when competitors threaten to leave the company behind in the race to shape what could be world-changing technology, according to CNN.
Apple is expected to partner with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, ahead of its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, where it will likely unveil the first batch of artificial intelligence tools to be included in iOS software.
While artificial intelligence has powered some iPhone experiences for years, such as Live Text and improved autocorrect, generative AI could unlock new levels of interaction and personalization. All of this comes at a time when the company is under pressure to regain ground against rivals like Google and Samsung, who are already using this technology in their smartphones.
"We see generative AI as a key opportunity across all our products, and we believe we have advantages that differentiate us in this space," said Apple CEO Tim Cook during the company's latest earnings call in early May, hinting at forthcoming announcements in "the weeks ahead."
Apple isn't always the first to adopt emerging technologies—typically, the company researches, develops, and seeks to perfect them for years before incorporating them into new products—but the speed at which the world is embracing generative artificial intelligence likely accelerates the company's need for a smartphone with the most advanced technology.
The debut of an AI-enabled iPhone could also prompt consumers to upgrade at a time when they hold onto older models longer. Apple reported first-quarter revenue of $90.8 billion, down 4% year-over-year, as the tech giant continues to grapple with growth challenges, particularly in China, amid an uncertain economic environment.
Now, all eyes are on Apple to see how it tackles generative AI. Here's how it might work on the iPhone:
A much smarter assistant
While it's not clear exactly what an iPhone in the world of generative AI would look like, experts largely believe the biggest point of entry is through Siri, the company's virtual assistant with a track record of success or failure.
Integration with the latest ChatGPT-4o model from OpenAI could propel Siri years ahead, effectively transforming the feature into an iPhone chatbot. This would allow Siri to perform specific tasks, such as reminding you of a photo taken years ago on the device or answering detailed questions about weather, news, or trivia. Over time, it could learn user preferences and even personality and respond accordingly.
Given how competitors have already introduced generative tools, iPhone will likely help users with other tasks, such as providing summaries and drafting emails or initiating a return process for an online purchase.
Samsung's "circle to search" feature, which allows users to quickly search for information on a device screen with a finger gesture, has garnered much attention and is showcased in marketing campaigns. Multimodal capabilities—which refer to an AI system that can interpret and generate different types of data, such as text and images simultaneously—like analyzing video recordings and detecting spam during calls could also be part of these tools, according to Paul Schell, an industry analyst at ABI Research.
"Something similar would likely be included in an Apple offering, given its relative simplicity and attractiveness beyond mere image search," Schell said. "But verbal interactions with a robot like Siri will be much more natural and fluent, and its capabilities will far exceed previous, limited domains, such as news and weather updates."
Additionally, an AI-enabled iPhone could seamlessly and automatically adapt to users based on voice, sound, and natural language, along with images and contextual cues.
"Generative artificial intelligence will allow the next generations of iPhones to become a sixth sense, giving us the ability to scan and interact with the world around us," said Thomas Husson, an analyst at market research firm Forrester.
Generative artificial intelligence will also likely transform the entire Apple ecosystem by incorporating it into its own apps, such as Apple Maps, iMovie, and iPhoto, and launching tools for developers to develop new experiences through their own apps.
AI Acceleration
Behind the scenes, it seems Apple has been working on its generative artificial intelligence capabilities on-device for some time and acquiring companies like Canadian startup DarwinAI. It also has a research division dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence.
But after the launch of ChatGPT sparked an AI arms race at the end of 2022, followed by companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta investing heavily in the development of related tools, Apple has remained relatively quiet about its visions for an AI-powered future.
Nabila Popal, senior research director at market research firm IDC, said the pressure to be part of the conversation likely accelerated the company's timeline. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Apple was nearing a deal with OpenAI to use ChatGPT technology on the iPhone, after similar discussions with Google.
"Normally, Apple doesn't rush and doesn't let the Android race rush it, whether it's foldables or 5G or even augmented and virtual reality," Popal said. "And then Apple comes and does it better than anyone else."
"However, this time, with AI, it's different," she said. "It's almost like Apple is forced to show its cards earlier."
She said that when choosing a premium device, consumers consider artificial intelligence capabilities more important than any other feature, especially in China, where Apple is losing market share.
"It's not just because of Huawei's comeback, but also because of the 'lack of AI' in their devices," she said. "Chinese consumers want more from their premium phones."
During Apple's most recent iPad event, the company reminded viewers that it has been using artificial intelligence in its products for years, including a neural processing engine to power its A11 Bionic chip. But now it must show that it is going all-in on artificial intelligence to remain relevant in a rapidly evolving industry.
"The question is no longer whether Apple will announce something about generative artificial intelligence, but Apple needs to do it if it wants to gain growth in this highly competitive and innovative smartphone market, especially in China. ... AI is a train that Apple cannot afford to miss."
