iOS 18 to bring half-cooked AI features at WWDC24

Apple’s quest to launch new AI features with iOS 18 will extend beyond WWDC24 as the company prepares to launch this capability as beta.

In his weekly Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman said that iOS 18 will use on-device and cloud-based AI features. The iPhone maker has been talking with two of the most popular AI companies – OpenAI and Google.

Earlier this month, Apple reportedly marked a deal with OpenAI for iOS 18 but talks with Google are still underway. Gurman also said Apple doesn’t want to rely on a one-cloud AI company.

What’s New

Apple has new features planned for this new operating system including “Project Graymatter”. This directly reflects on core apps including Safari, Photos, and Notes. Most system apps will utilize on-device AI to provide transcriptions for voice memos, AI image editing, and better Spotlight search. Safari will enhance search with AI suggestions and text messages.

Natural language processing will be added to Siri’s voice assistant probably with OpenAI’s new GPT-4o model. Apple can also opt for Google’s latest Gemini model but it remained unconfirmed.

AI Emoji

iOS 18’s generative AI will provide huge assistance in creating emojis. Its new custom emoji generator will help users to create emojis with text input. Such an option can create a variety of emojis for a specific situation instead of choosing from existing ones.

Smart recap

The new iOS version will ensure you don’t miss any notifications with Smart Recap. This function works as a notification history for text messages, web notifications, documents, notes, and other types of content.

Beta

These additions will debut at WWDC24 but as a developer preview says Gurman. He predicted that Apple would keep developing the new AI integration in iOS 18 until its full release with iPhone 16 later this year.

The reason for this partial unveiling at WWDC24 suggests that AI integration may not be ready by June. The Cupertino-based firm may need more time to bake the AI models. Even with this reason, we can tune in for WWDC24 and look forward to new announcements.