After months of speculation about how Apple would embrace AI, we got the answer we wanted at WWDC 2024 in stunning fashion. The launch of Apple Intelligence has the potential to bring AI into even more people’s lives in a whole multitude of ways.
Siri is receiving one of its biggest-ever overhauls, and you’ll even have the opportunity to create your own emojis. Along with these new features, using the Mail app will become much easier. Here are all the new AI features announced at WWDC 2024.
NOTE
1. Integration With ChatGPT
Perhaps the biggest news to be announced on the first day of WWDC 2024 was that Siri would be integrated with ChatGPT. Users won’t need an account to use ChatGPT with Siri, and Apple will introduce the integration later in 2024.
ChatGPT will aim to answer any questions that Siri is unable to when a person asks. Users will get to choose whether they want the question to be answered with ChatGPT. If you use a Mac, you can also get ChatGPT recommendations without going to your device. For example, the program can generate images for you to add to a piece of text.
If you have a paid ChatGPT subscription, you can link your account to your Apple device. In addition to using ChatGPT with Siri, you can also use prompts when writing.
Not everyone is happy about this announcement, though. Elon Musk posted on X that he would ban Apple devices if OpenAI was integrated at OS level – referring to it as “an unacceptable security violation”.
2. Other Major Changes Are Coming to Siri
Alongside the integration with ChatGPT, Apple is making numerous other changes to Siri. Besides talking to Siri, you’ll now be able to send texts in the same way that you’d ask an online chatbot for advice. If you’ve had problems with Siri understanding your voice in the past (I’m currently raising my hand), those issues should be ironed out with its new updates.
Siri will now be able to understand a broader range of questions, and you should also find it easier to speak like you normally do and get the responses you’re looking for. If you want to perform other actions based on your previous questions, Siri will be able to do that with less friction than in previous years.
You’ll also find it easier to perform several actions with Siri in the newest versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. For example, you can quickly send articles or ask for your device to show you specific pictures from across multiple albums.
3. Prioritization and Summaries
Apple has made significant improvements in recent years to how you organize your notifications, and it’s using AI to step things up another notch in iOS/iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. Your software will prioritize the most important notifications at the top of your screen, and you’ll also see the most essential emails show up at the top of your inbox in the Mail app.
However, AI isn’t limited to just the most important notifications. When using your device, you’ll also receive summaries of all other notifications. So, after upgrading, you should find it easier to identify what you need to follow up on and the things you can clear from your screen.
In the Mail app, you’ll also find summaries of your emails. If you open one and you don’t want to read through the text, you can also get a summary at the top.
4. Writing Tools in Apple Intelligence
AI writing assistants are already popular, and Grammarly is one of the most famous examples for macOS. However, Apple will release new tools to help you write better across all of your apps in its fall 2024 updates. Users can choose to rewrite entire passages and proofread them to ensure that there are no spelling mistakes.
You can also change the tone of your content to match your target audience. Additionally, you can add lists, key points, summaries, and tables. Besides adding key points to the top of your content, you can replace the entire text with these if you’d prefer.
5. Generative Images
Several generative image tools exist, including DALL-E and Adobe Firefly. However, Apple users will soon be able to generate images with text on their devices. The Image Playground lets you add keywords and choose whether you want an illustration, sketch, or animation.
Using Apple Intelligence, you can also generate images of your friends and family with different prompts. You can access these features in several apps, but you’ll also see a new Image Playground app if you have access to the company’s AI tools.
Apple is also introducing an Image Wand. With this feature, you can circle a section in your text and add new visuals.
6. Genmojis
Stickers are great, but let’s be honest: Most of us would love to create our own emojis. Well, you’ll soon be able to do that via Genmojis. You can create your own emojis using a text prompt on your screen, and it’s also possible to create emojis for other people. Effectively, these are smaller versions of Stickers and Memojis.
When you create a new Genmoji, you’ll see a list of options appear. If you want to use one of these, all you have to do is select Insert.
7. Remove Distractions in Images
Background and object removal tools are common in many photo editing apps, but one of the biggest frustrations with smartphone photo editing has historically been the lack of such features. I, and others I know, have found it quite frustrating to download a third-party app for such simple adjustments.
At WWDC 2024, Apple announced that it’s introducing new features in the Photo app. You’ll soon be able to identify distractions in the background, such as people you don’t know. Using AI, you can then remove these.
8. Enhanced Search
I personally thought that searching for images and videos was much better in iOS 17 compared to previous versions, so I’m quite excited about the improved search capabilities coming this fall. Using natural language processing, the Photos app will now have more options to find what you’re specifically looking for.
Besides summarizing your requested videos, the app will also be able to find moments within each clip. So you no longer have to scroll through the entire video to find what you’re looking for.
AI has been in Apple’s pipeline for a long time, and its fall 2024 updates will take its most popular apps and services to the next level. Siri was long overdue for a significant upgrade, and we’ll now see that with several features, including ChatGPT integration. In addition to the big hitters, you’ll find several quality-of-life upgrades too.