Apple has introduced its new feature, Apple Intelligence, with the release of iOS 18.1, marking a significant step in its advancements in artificial intelligence. This development has been highly anticipated as Apple continues to draw interest with its tagline “AI for the rest of us.”
Apple Intelligence is described as a “personal intelligence system” that combines generative models with personal data to provide tailored information. The tools are integrated within Apple’s operating system and existing applications, rather than being separate standalone applications.
Apple CEO Tim Cook described Apple Intelligence as “the next big step for Apple” during its announcement in June. This feature is available in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. The system gathers data such as routines, relationships, and communications to personalize its results and recommendations.
Despite privacy concerns related to AI accessing personal information, Apple emphasizes that privacy and security are key considerations. Many features run directly on devices, with others utilizing Apple’s Private Cloud Compute for AI processing, ensuring that users’ data is never stored or shared with Apple.
Apple Intelligence includes integrations with ChatGPT in features like Writing Tools and Siri, with users having the option to opt out of this integration. Writing Tools can proofread, rewrite text, transcribe audio, and generate summaries across various applications. The Photos app now allows users to clean up images by removing unwanted elements and create Memory movies using text descriptions. Additionally, natural language search, notification summaries, and smart notification management are included among the new features.
For Apple’s digital assistant Siri, improvements have been made such as a more natural voice and better request handling. Apple plans to introduce additional features in a December update, including Priority Notifications and AI-generated emojis.
Apple Intelligence is compatible with iPhone 16 models, select iPhone 15 models, and several Apple tablets and laptops with an M1 chip or later. It is available in most regions, excluding the EU and China, and currently supports only US English. Further English-language support will expand to additional regions in December, with other languages to follow next year.
To access Apple Intelligence, users need to ensure their devices are compatible, set to US English, and have adequate storage. Updating to the latest operating systems and joining the Apple Intelligence Waitlist will enable users to explore this new feature once their wait has concluded.