Apple has never been first in product categories, as we’ve seen with the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro. But with the rapid advance of generative AI, the company can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines. WWDC 2024 starts next week on Monday, June 10, and runs through Friday, June 14. The keynote was a mixed bag of cutting-edge developments, with a welcome commitment to user privacy but only a limited embrace of AI. It’s a little telling that WWDC began not with a mention of AI, but a highlight of the success of AppleTV.

If you missed the livestream, here it is:

Update on Apple AI Announcements

As expected, Apple announced several AI features for its products and services at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). As Bloomberg summarized the AI news,

‘AI for the rest of us’ — Apple worked to position new artificial intelligence features as privacy oriented. Many workloads will be handled on-device, as software engineering chief Craig Federighi said your personal data shouldn’t be ‘warehoused and analyzed in someone’s AI cloud.’

While Apple’s approach may address growing concerns over how our data is used in Large Language Models, investors were disenchanted by the company’s limited embrace of AI, sending the stock down by 2% by the end of today’s keynote.

Apple Intelligence – Apple’s Own Version of AI

Apple’s new AI initiative will be branded as Apple Intelligence. The new partnership with OpenAI will allow Apple to introduce ChatGPT-like services in the Apple ecosystem, with more to come in the future. The Apple AI developments will be accompanied by new software for the Vision Pro headset, Apple Watch, and TV platforms.

Apple’s AI strategy focuses on practical, user-centric applications rather than flashy technological feats. Key features will be optional, allowing users to adopt them at their own pace. However, these features will require the latest hardware, such as the iPhone 15 Pro or devices equipped with M1 chips or newer. That’s expected to boost sales as older iPhones will not support the new Apple AI features.

On-board Processing and Cloud-Based AI 

Apple’s AI capabilities will leverage both on-device processing and cloud-based computing, depending on the complexity of the task. A new service infrastructure named Private Cloud Compute will handle the more sophisticated AI. According to Apple, your data will never be accessible to them even though it is on their servers. This will be a significant selling point for users concerned about the privacy implications of the current generative AI platforms.

The real question is whether consumers will embrace Apple’s balanced approach. Safety and transparent data handling practices are on everyone’s minds, but the seductive power of Generative AI means those concerns often fall by the wayside.

This is not all that different than our relationship with social media. No one wants their data in the hands of one of the large tech corporations, but everyone wants the engagement and public platform that social media offers.

Key AI Features Across Apple’s Ecosystem

Here’s some of the features of Apple Intelligence:

• Summarization: Quickly recap articles, web pages, meeting notes, text messages, and emails.
• Reply Suggestions: Automatically generate detailed responses to emails and texts.
• Siri Enhancements: Revamped with large language models, Siri will gain precise control over individual features and actions within apps later this year.
• Xcode AI Integration: Similar to GitHub Copilot, this tool will assist developers by completing code snippets automatically.
• Mail App Upgrades: Enhanced with automatic categorization of incoming messages.
• Apple AI-Generated Emoji: Custom emoji characters will be created in real time, providing a richer, more expressive communication experience.
• Voice Memos Transcription: Automatic transcription of recordings, a feature long available on Google Pixel devices and third-party apps.

As for the AI Photo Enhancements, Apple took a go slow approach. As PetaPixel notes,

Apple doesn’t seem inclined to go full Dall-E on the image generation front. Its Image Playground tool forces users to choose between three styles: animation, illustration, and sketch, so there are no deepfake possibilities with photorealistic AI generation.

Customization and Usability Enhancements

As we expected, iOS 18 will offer home screen customization, including free-form icon placement and customizable icon colors. The control center will see an updated interface, allowing for rearranged shortcut buttons, enhanced music, and smart home controls.

The Messages app will feature new visual effects, customizable Tapbacks, and the ability to schedule messages. Apple is also introducing a Passwords app, an alternative to existing password management services.

Health and Accessibility Innovations

The Health app will enhance blood pressure data management and introduce new hearing-related features on Apple’s AirPods. The watchOS 11 update, codenamed Moonstone, will bring a redesigned Siri interface leveraging the latest developments and major improvements to critical apps like Fitness. While some of the developments will not be released until the fall, expect to see Apple’s AI research in all of them.

Apple AI in the Future

While WWDC traditionally centers on software, it also sets the stage for future hardware releases. We can expect to see further integration of AI into the new iPad Pro and other devices.

But WWDC may have raised more questions than answers. OpenAI is already working on GPT-5, and Meta, Elon Musk, and others are undertaking major AI initiatives. It’s hard to see Apple’s moves as more than a stopgap measure for a company that missed the opening bell of the AI Goldrush. Whether they are able to catch up remains to be seen. And it’s unclear that the broader public will embrace Apple’s privacy-first approach.

Apple has much at stake today and what they do over the coming year will determine their future. Monday’s WWDC keynote may have left us with more questions than answers.