Apple Intelligence, « AI for the rest of us » 🤖

Cliquez ici pour lire en français

This week saw Apple’s WWDC, an opportunity for the company to unveil the new software features that will be arriving on its devices. The biggest of these is Apple Intelligence.

Intelligent writing tools to improve your communication✍🏾

One of the promises of all the generative artificial intelligence tools on the market is to help us communicate better and be more productive. Apple is no exception to the rule. It has to be said that these generatives excel in this field.

The new writing tools, powered by Apple Intelligence, make it possible to write, summarize and enhance text seamlessly, almost anywhere you write. You can now generate concise responses from large e-mails and receive intelligent suggested answers. If you regularly record audio in the Notes or Phone apps, you can rely on Apple Intelligence to generate summaries of your transcriptions and quickly access essential information.

Source : Apple

Source : Apple

But that’s not all. Apple Intelligence also helps reduce distractions, particularly in notifications. Apple Intelligence will analyze your notifications to determine which ones have priority. These will then appear at the top of the pile, so you’ll know at a glance what deserves your attention. Finally, the new « Reduce Interruptions » function understands the content of your notifications and displays those requiring immediate attention.

Source : Apple

Source : Apple

Create images in just a few seconds 🖌️

Another feature highlighted for generative AI tools is image generation. For many users, this is less useful in everyday life than productivity and communication tools. Even worse, the general public has the impression that they are mainly used to create fake news more easily.

However, Apple has integrated image generation into Apple Intelligence. Image Playground, for example, lets you produce fun and original images in seconds, based on descriptions, suggested concepts or even photos from your library. Image generation is also integrated into the Notes application, where it will be possible to transform a rough sketch into a corresponding image. Apple Intelligence analyzes the context to produce a complementary visual.

Source : Apple

Source : Apple

Remember Memoji? Those virtual avatars you could create that were supposed to replace classic emojis? Well, it seems that the sauce hasn’t caught on as Apple would have hoped, and we’re now turning to Genmoji. These are personalized emojis that you can create from a description or photo.

Source : Apple

Finally, in the Photos app, you can create a memory movie by entering a description. Apple Intelligence finds the best matching photos and videos and organizes them into a movie with a unique narrative. Thanks to the new intelligent search tools in the Photos app, all you have to do is describe what you want to find. Apple’s artificial intelligence will then scan your multimedia content and present you with the corresponding results. And it works with videos too. With Intelligent Retouching, you can say goodbye to unwanted elements in your shots. Thanks to Apple Intelligence, background objects are automatically detected. Simply touch the screen to make them disappear in the blink of an eye.

Siri gets really smart 🧠

Siri was one of the first voice assistants to be integrated into smartphones. But over time, it became a source of derision. With Apple Intelligence, Siri has been given a second life, with a more natural, integrated experience.

Apple promises that Siri will better understand requests and be able to act according to personal context. Siri will be even more integrated with your device, using knowledge of the information on your device to help you find recipes, passport numbers and more, while preserving your privacy.

Source : Apple

Siri will now let you act seamlessly within an app, but also navigate between different apps. Just say « Send draft email to April and Lilly », and the assistant will understand which app and which message it is. No more switching from one tool to another! Siri will chain actions from one application to another. For example, if you ask Siri « Make this photo more vivid », after touching it up, you’ll just have to ask « Put it in my travel notes », and it will be integrated directly into the right place, without any manipulation on your part.

To enhance all these new features, Siri benefits from a new design with glowing light around the screen.

Source : Apple

ChatGPT comes to Apple devices ✨

In addition to Apple Intelligence, Apple has announced the integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT into Siri and writing tools. This allows you to benefit from additional expertise without having to change tools. Unlike Apple Intelligence, which is fully integrated and requires no special agreement, you will be able to control when ChatGPT is used and will be informed before any information is shared. ChatGPT is accessible free of charge without creating an account, with paid features for subscribers.

Source : Apple

Apple has also announced that in future it will be possible to call on other generative AIs such as Google’s Gemini.

What about privacy? 🔐

First and foremost, Apple Intelligence has nothing to do with ChatGPT. The ChatGPT integration is there only for specific cases where Apple Intelligence would have difficulty.

All productivity, image generation and Siri functions are processed locally on your device. However, for certain uses requiring greater power than that available on the device, Apple Intelligence will resort to online servers. This is done completely transparently, with no prior approval from the user. What about privacy?

Well, the servers Apple Intelligence communicates with are Apple servers, built just like your devices. According to Apple, your data is never stored and is used only for your specific requests, guaranteeing verifiable confidentiality. Apple calls this Private Cloud Compute.

To sum up, Apple Intelligence works locally, and in some cases needs access to online servers. This is done in a totally transparent way that respects your privacy. If Apple Intelligence really can’t help you, you’ll have the option of communicating directly with ChatGPT, if and only if you give your consent.

Which devices are compatible? 📱

If you’re already excited about using Apple Intelligence, you’ll need to temper your expectations. First of all, Apple Intelligence will only be available in English. Secondly, you’ll need a recent Mac, a recent iPad Air or Pro, and an even more recent iPhone. Here’s the full list of compatible devices:

• iPhone 15 Pro et 15 Pro Max
• iPad Air with M1 chip and later
• iPad Pro with M1 chip and later
• MacBook Air with M1 chip and later
• MacBook Pro with M1 chip and later
• iMac with M1 chip and later
• Mac mini with M1 chip and later
• Mac Studio with M1 Max chip and later
• Mac Pro with M2 Ultra chip and later

Apple Intelligence should be integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia by the end of the year.