A new report into Apple’s rumored iOS 18 AI shift has revealed that Apple will focus on tools to improve the daily life of iPhone users, rather than its answer to ChatGPT, when the software is unveiled in June.
Ever since the explosion of AI in the public domain last year, rumors have indicated that Apple is frantically trying to play catch up to rivals like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI, allegedly spending “millions of dollars a day” on its own answer to ChatGPT. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has been at the forefront of these rumors, most recently reporting that Apple is in discussions with Google to bring Gemini AI to iPhone in a landmark deal. Now, Gurman has tempered expectations.
In his latest Power On Newsletter, Gurman states that while iOS 18 is still “considered internally to be the biggest update to iOS since the original iPhone,” and while the “main event” will be artificial intelligence, iOS 18 won’t have a big focus on ChatGPT-esque generative AI.
AI for your daily life — iOS 18
According to Gurman we “shouldn’t expect a big focus on ChatGPT-like generative AI features.” To be clear, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Apple won’t have any generative AI features. Indeed, earlier on in his report Gurman indicates that Apple “could open up iOS so any developer could build a generative AI system deep into the iPhone,” building on swirling rumors of the Google partnership, and reported discussions with Chinese multinational and AI company Baidu.
Instead, Gurman’s report seems to indicate that Apple’s focus for consumers at WWDC 2024 (when we should see iOS 18 unveiled) will be on “a slew of AI tools that help manage your daily life.” Previously, we’ve heard that there are six iPhone applications Apple plans to improve with AI, including its Xcode development software, Messages, Pages, and Keynote.
Alongside these AI incursions, Gurman also reports that Apple’s iPhone Home Screen will offer more customizability in iOS 18, including the option to have blank spaces and columns, just like Android. iOS 18 will likely debut in September alongside Apple's next best iPhone, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.
