Apple says that the vast majority of Apple Intelligence’s features are performed on-device, without needing to connect to the cloud for additional compute, but when accessing ChatGPT, users will need an internet connection. — Photo by Howard Bouchevereau on Unsplash
Apple has announced the release of iOS 18.2, a software update that brings a bevy of AI features to the new iPhone 16, including a ChatGPT-powered Siri and the ability to create your own custom emoji.
When the iPhone 16 was announced in September, the top selling point was the addition of Apple Intelligence, Apple’s umbrella of features powered by generative AI. Instead of launching on the new iPhone, though, Apple Intelligence features have been slowly added via free updates. In October, the company released AI writing tools for refining texts and emails, along with AI-powered notification summaries, but the majority of features haven’t been available until today.
Now, Apple says that iPhone 16 owners can connect to ChatGPT, generate AI art in the new “Image Playground,” use “Visual Intelligence” in the camera app, and create original emoji.
Apple says that the vast majority of Apple Intelligence’s features are performed on-device, without needing to connect to the cloud for additional compute, but when accessing ChatGPT, users will need an internet connection. The OpenAI-created AI service is accessible in two ways: through the previously released writing tools and through Siri.
With the writing tools, users will be able to ask ChatGPT to generate text and images, and the AI can suggest additions. On Siri, when asked a question that it can’t handle on its own, Siri will ask if the user would like to connect to ChatGPT. Wall Street Journal tech writer Joanna Stern said in a review that specific keyphrases seem to consistently summon ChatGPT, such as “write me ... ” “brainstorm ... ” and “Ask ChatGPT to ... ”
Compared with most other image-generating AI services, Apple’s Image Playground, which is accessible through the Messages app, imposes some strict limitations. According to the press release, users describe the image they’d like to see, with the option to add a photo as a reference, and then select a specific style for the image, including “Animation – a modern, 3-D-animated look – and Illustration, which offers images with simple shapes, clear lines, and colour blocking.” More styles are expected to be added over time.
In the camera app, users can gain a deeper understanding of the world around them with Visual Intelligence, a new feature that enables the camera to “summarise and copy text, translate text between languages, detect phone numbers or email addresses with the option to add to contacts, and more.” Stern wrote in her review that Visual Intelligence is the “real star” of Apple Intelligence and that the feature is like “a parenting dream,” as it enables parents to identify objects and then quickly find them for purchase. (This is similar to Google Lens.)
The update also brings “Genmoji” to new Apple devices, enabling users to generate their own emoji with a simple text prompt or with a photo. These Genmoji can be used just like regular emoji, either in text, as stickers, or as reactions.
More updates are still on the way, including one that will give Siri the ability to “draw on a user’s personal context to deliver intelligence that’s tailored to them.” As for if these features are worth buying a new iPhone for – we’ll leave that up to you. – Inc./Tribune News Service
