The initial version of Apple Intelligence focuses on helping you with words and photos. Prepare to be impressed and unnerved.
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Apple’s most significant new product of the year, which is not the much-discussed $3,500 headset, is set to launch this month. Apple Intelligence, a collection of software tools that the company characterizes as artificial intelligence, will be made available through complimentary software updates for select iPhones, Macs, and iPads.
The initial iteration of Apple Intelligence, which Apple is releasing as an incomplete “beta,” will feature an enhanced version of its virtual assistant, Siri, along with tools designed to automatically summarize text, transcribe audio recordings, and eliminate distractions such as photo bombers from images.
For Apple, this launch marks the commencement of a new chapter. Apple Intelligence is the culmination of a significant reorganization within the Cupertino, California-based company, occurring nearly two years after the tech landscape was transformed by OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot.
Apple’s leadership had expressed concerns that, without comparable A.I. capabilities, the iPhone could eventually appear outdated. Consequently, the company discontinued its self-driving car initiative, which had been in development for over a decade, reallocating its engineers to focus on Apple Intelligence. This new offering will debut without many of the highly anticipated features that Apple announced in June. Although a partnership with OpenAI was established to incorporate ChatGPT into its software, the chatbot will not be included in this initial rollout. Additionally, Siri currently lacks the capability to integrate data from multiple applications to inform users whether a last-minute meeting will delay their arrival at a child’s performance. Apple has indicated that these features and others will be gradually introduced throughout the coming year.
To gain insight into the new capabilities, I tested an early version of Apple Intelligence over the past week. The new functionalities were somewhat challenging to locate, as they have been embedded within various components of Apple’s software ecosystem, including the editing tools for text and photos.
Several features, such as tools for proofreading text and transcribing audio, proved to be quite useful. Conversely, other functionalities, including a tool for generating summaries of web articles and a feature for eliminating unwanted distractions from photos, were inconsistent in performance and may not warrant attention.
In summary, Apple Intelligence is a product to monitor in the coming years to determine if it becomes essential; however, it does not provide sufficient incentive to invest in new hardware at this time.
Apple Intelligence is compatible with the latest iPhone 16 models, last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, and various iPads and Macs released within the past four years. Below are the tools that will be particularly beneficial, as well as those that can be overlooked when the software is launched on devices this month.
Apple’s A.I. : Apple Intelligence Tools That Are Useful
Apple Intelligence introduces a long-awaited feature: the voice memos application now automatically generates a transcript while recording audio.
As a journalist frequently conducting interviews, I was eager to test this functionality and was pleased with its performance. During a meeting with a technology firm last week, I activated the recording feature in the app, and upon stopping the recording, the transcript was promptly available. Apple Intelligence effectively identified when different speakers were talking, creating new paragraphs in the transcript accordingly. Although there were occasional inaccuracies in transcribing mumbled words, the overall transcript facilitated my ability to search for specific keywords and easily locate segments of the conversation.
Apple’s A.I. : Ask Siri for Help With an Apple Product
Although utilizing any smartphone or tablet may seem straightforward, the complexity of Apple’s software has increased significantly over the years, making it challenging to fully leverage features that are not easily accessible. Apple Intelligence has enhanced Siri’s capabilities, enabling it to assist users in navigating Apple products.
For example, I often struggle to remember how to operate two applications simultaneously on the iPad. Therefore, I inquired of Siri, “How do I use split screen on the iPad?” In response, Siri promptly provided a list of instructions, which included tapping a specific button located at the top of an application.
Interestingly, Siri was unable to assist with using Apple Intelligence to rewrite an email. Instead, it presented a list of Google search results directing me to other websites that outlined the necessary steps. Regarding email, Apple Intelligence offers writing tools that can help refine your text and even generate pre-written email responses.
I utilized the automatic response feature to swiftly decline a salesperson’s offer at a car dealership: “Thank you for your outreach. I am currently not interested in purchasing a vehicle.”
In terms of text editing, I selected an email I had hastily composed for a colleague and pressed the “Proofread” button. Apple Intelligence efficiently revised the text, adding punctuation that I had overlooked.
Apple’s A.I. : Apple A.I. Tools You Can Ignore
One of the most eagerly awaited features of Apple Intelligence is its capability to automatically edit photographs by eliminating distractions, such as an unwanted individual in an otherwise ideal family portrait. Many users are likely to be interested in this tool, named Clean Up, but they may find themselves disappointed. To test it, I selected a photo taken at an outdoor wedding a few years back, featuring family members. I clicked the “Clean Up” button, hoping to remove individuals seated on lawn chairs in the background. While the software successfully erased the people and chairs, it left behind an indecipherable mass of black-and-white pixels. I attempted the tool once more on a picture of my corgi, Max, who was napping on the couch beside a blanket. Apple Intelligence removed the blanket but struggled to replicate the couch cushion, resulting in an unappealing and exaggerated indentation.
Apple appears to believe that the internet is overly verbose. A key feature of Apple Intelligence is its ability to generate concise summaries of text across various applications, including emails, web articles, and documents.
By selecting the “Summarize” option in the Safari browser, I received a three-sentence summary of a 1,200-word New York Times article discussing the advantages and disadvantages of consuming tuna. Apple Intelligence encapsulated the article’s main idea—that tuna is a nutritious option but may contain high levels of mercury, prompting consumers to consider tuna species with lower mercury content.
Regrettably, in its summary, Apple Intelligence suggested that individuals should consume albacore, a species identified in the article as having some of the highest mercury levels. This phenomenon is referred to in the tech industry as a hallucination, a frequent issue where artificial intelligence generates incorrect information after failing to ascertain the right answer.
