Apple releases AI features!

Apple revealed its first set of AI features, powered by Apple Intelligence (its new AI platform), at its developer conference in June. Now, some of these features are available to use, by developers, as part of its newest Operating System update, iOS 18.1.

What AI features are available? 

The AI features that have been released in the beta developer test include: 

AI updates to Siri: Siri now has a glowing light around the edge of the screen, which lights up when Siri is activated. It can also switch between voice and text during commands, has improved understanding and context when asked questions about the device, and can follow prompts, even when they’re unclear. 

New AI writing tools: On-device writing tools can now let users proofread and rewrite text (in Mail, Notes, and other text apps) in a different tone, like “friendly”, “professional”, or “concise”, or a different format like a list, a summary, a table, or key points.

New AI mail features: Users now have smart replies (which provide quick reply suggestions), email summaries, and a priority email feature that, for urgent emails, displays a one-line email summary before the email has been opened.

New AI-powered ‘Focus’ mode: iOS 18 devices have an AI-powered feature that only shows important or urgent notifications that need immediate attention. 

New AI Photo features: After typing a description, AI will find photos and specific moments in videos and create a ‘movie’ in a feature called ‘Memories.’

Although there was a lot of hype around the integration of ChatGPT into Siri, a new feature that lets users create custom emojis (called Genmoji), and an AI-powered image generation tool, called Image Playground, these aren’t being released as part of this update, as Apple is reportedly still testing these features and fixing bugs, so these will likely be released either late this year, or into the next.

How to access the new AI features

The new AI features are only accessible by developers, as Apple specifically wants their feedback to help them refine iOS 18, before it's released to the public, to prevent any issues impacting the release of the iPhone 16 series, expected to land in September. 

Developers wishing to try iOS 18.1 and its Apple Intelligence-powered features for the first time, will need to be a member of Apple’s beta program (available to anyone, for free). They will need to have an Apple Intelligence-supported device, which includes the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and any Mac or iPad that has the M1 chip (Apple’s own AI chip) or newer, and set their device language to US English and device region to the US.

After all that, they will then have to join a waitlist before they’re able to trial Apple Intelligence.