Maxwell Zeff
Apple is expected to announce major artificial intelligence updates to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac next week during its Worldwide Developers Conference. Except Apple won’t call its system artificial intelligence, like everyone else, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on Friday. The system will reportedly be called “Apple Intelligence,” and allegedly will be made available to new versions of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems.
Apple Intelligence, which is shortened to just AI, is reportedly separate from the ChatGPT-like chatbot Apple is expected to release in partnership with OpenAI. Apple’s in-house AI tools are reported to include assistance in message writing, photo editing, and summarizing texts. Bloomberg reports that some of these AI features will run on the device while others will be processed through cloud-based computing, depending on the complexity of the task.
The name feels a little too obvious. While this is the first we’re hearing of an actual name for Apple’s AI, it’s entirely unsurprising that Apple is choosing a unique brand to call its artificial intelligence systems. Apple commonly tries to brand its technology as something in a class of its own, even when it’s building the same thing as every other tech giant. For example, when Apple released the Vision Pro, the company called its underlying technology “spatial computing” instead of virtual reality.
But Apple may have a tough time convincing users that its AI has a competitive advantage. A report from the Wall Street Journal this week details how Apple fell behind in the AI race. The team responsible for AI within Apple reportedly struggled to keep up with the pace of innovation at the rest of the company. When ChatGPT was released in 2022, company leadership reportedly asked other teams to infuse generative AI into their products outside of the dedicated AI team.
AI will undoubtedly be a huge focus for WWDC this year, and it’s widely seen as something Apple needs to get right. After years of lackluster releases, the Cupertino giant is hoping it can inject some life into the brand with AI.