CNN
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Imagine asking Apple Siri to display You an old photo taken at a child’s second birthday, or a summary of long emails and writing drafts. Then think about Siri learning your schedule, your preferences, and even your personality, so it can better communicate with you throughout the day.
Generative AI, artificial intelligence capable of providing thoughtful, in-depth responses to questions and prompts, could potentially breathe new life into Apple’s iPhone lineup at a time when competitors threaten to leave the company behind in the race to shape what could change the world. technology.
The company is expected to partner with ChatGPT creator OpenAI ahead of its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, where it will likely showcase its first batch of AI tools aimed at iOS software.
Although artificial intelligence has powered some iPhone experiences for years, such as Live Text and enhanced autocorrect, generative AI could open up new levels of interaction and personalization. All this at a time when the company is under pressure to catch up with competitors such as Google and Samsung, which already uses the technology in its smartphones.
“We view generative AI as a key opportunity for our products and believe we have advantages that set us apart in this area,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the latest earnings conference call of the company in early May, emphasizing that news would be announced within “weeks”. in front.”
Apple isn’t always the first to adopt emerging technologies — it researches, develops, and typically aims to perfect them for years before including them in new products — but speed The moment the world adopts generative AI is perhaps accelerating the enterprise need for a smartphone with the most advanced technology.
The debut of an AI iPhone could also entice consumers to upgrade at a time when they are holding on to older models longer. Apple reported first-quarter revenue of $90.8 billion, down 4% year-over-year, as the tech giant continues to face growth challenges, including in China, an uncertain economic environment.
Now, all eyes are on Apple for its vision of generative AI. Here’s how it might play out on the iPhone:
While it’s unclear what exactly an iPhone would look like in the world of generative AI, experts largely believe the biggest entry point is through Siri, the company’s virtual assistant with a history of success or failure.
Integrating with OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT-4o model could propel Siri years further, essentially turning the feature into a chatbot for the iPhone. This would allow Siri to perform specific tasks such as recalling a photo taken years ago on the device or answering detailed questions about the weather, news or trivia. Over time, it could learn the user’s preferences and even personality and respond accordingly.
Looking at how competitors have already introduced generative tools, the iPhone will likely also help users with other tasks, like offering to summarize and draft emails., or start an online purchase return process.
Samsung’s “circle to search” feature, which allows users to quickly search for information on a device’s screen with a simple finger gesture, has received a lot of attention and is featured in marketing campaigns. Multimodal features – which refers to an AI system that can interpret and generate different types of data, such as text and images at the same time – such as analyzing video footage and detecting spam during Calls could also be among the tools, according to Paul Schell, an industry analyst at technology intelligence firm ABI Research.
“Something similar would likely be included in an Apple offering, given its relative simplicity and appeal that goes beyond simple image searches,” Schell said. “But verbal interactions with a robot like Siri will be much more natural and fluid, and its capabilities will extend far beyond previous narrow domains, like news and weather updates.”
An AI iPhone could also automatically and seamlessly adapt to users, based on voice, audio and natural language, as well as images and contextual cues.
“Generative AI will enable next generations of iPhones to become a sixth sense, allowing us to scan and interact with the world around us,” said Thomas Husson, an analyst at market research firm Forrester .
Generative AI will also likely change Apple’s entire ecosystem by integrating it into its own apps, such as Apple Maps, iMovie and iPhoto, and releasing tools for developers to enable brands to develop new experiences via their own applications.
Behind the scenes, Apple has reportedly been working on its generative AI capabilities on devices for some time and acquiring companies, such as Canadian startup DarwinAI. It also has a machine learning research division dedicated to the advancement of artificial intelligence.
But after the launch of ChatGPT sparked an AI arms race in late 2022, followed by companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta massively devoting their resources to developing related tools, Apple has remained relatively quiet about its vision of an AI-powered future.
Nabila Popal, senior research director at market research firm IDC, said the pressure to join the conversation has likely delayed the company’s timeline. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Apple was reaching a deal with OpenAI to use its ChatGPT technology on iPhones, after having similar discussions with Google.
“Apple normally takes its time and doesn’t let the race to Android rush (impact its moves), whether it’s with foldables or 5G or even augmented and virtual reality,” Popal said. “And then Apple comes out and does it better than anyone.”
“But this time, with AI, it’s different,” she said. “It’s almost like Apple was forced to show its hand early.”
She said consumers value AI capabilities more than any other feature when choosing their high-end device, especially in China, where Apple is losing market share.
“It’s not just because of the resurgence of Huawei, but also because of ‘lack of AI‘ in their devices,” she said. “Chinese consumers expect more from their high-end phones. »
At its latest iPad event, Apple reminded viewers that it has been using artificial intelligence in its products for years, including a neural processing engine to support its A11 bionic chip. But it must now show that it is relying entirely on artificial intelligence to remain relevant in a rapidly evolving sector.
“It’s no longer a question of whether or not Apple will announce something around generative AI, but Apple must do so if it wants to grow in this highly competitive and innovative smartphone market, especially in China. …AI is a train that Apple cannot afford to miss.
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