• The most significant announcement was integrating ChatGPT into Siri, which will give the software powerful capabilities, and they are calling it Apple Intelligence.

• ChatGPT integration into Siri will allow Siri to communicate within and between apps to execute commands.

• Integrating ChatGPT is an intelligent step for Apple, and the size of its ecosystem can boost ChatGPT’s ecosystem ambitions.

After the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S24 series of phones, which leaned heavily toward artificial intelligence functionality, it was inevitable that Apple would follow suit sooner rather than later. The company put paid to expectations at this year’s WWDC 2024 (World Wide Developer Conference).

Apple announced many AI-related functions that will come with the latest version of their operating systems for computers, phones, and tablets in their usual September/October release slot.

The most significant announcement was integrating ChatGPT into Siri, which will give the software powerful capabilities, and they are calling it Apple Intelligence. Apple also showed off an incredible Math Notes application, which will change the calculator as we know it.

World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC 2024) is the event that Apple uses to announce upcoming functions and capabilities of their next software iteration. This will give developers time to work on their apps and use new functionality. While Apple has more recently focused on incremental software improvements, this year’s edition was the boldest seen in perhaps a decade.

A significant software response was expected after Samsung launched its impressive Galaxy AI, and it’s safe to say we got just that. While Apple did not mention Artificial Intelligence during the presentation, they call it Apple Intelligence (which ironically still shortens to AI).

We are getting many more AI features baked into the next edition of the Apple software suite.

ChatGPT integration

The biggest news was the integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. ChatGPT made big news after launching its audio functionality, which brings conversational AI to the fore. Now, the voice-activated Apple assistant Siri will get ChatGPT integration, allowing the assistant to do some amazing things.

The presentation showed off a demonstration by asking Siri to find a photo of a specific person wearing a particular color jersey. It’s easy to see how useful this can be to various users, and the applications will undoubtedly go deeper.

ChatGPT is the leading transformer in the world, and OpenAI has been working very hard to grow the appeal and functionality of its leading product.

What Apple Intelligence will do

Leaning on the strengths of ChatGPT, Apple Intelligence will be able to proofread, rewrite, and summarize text.

Users of ChatGPT will be aware of just how well the transformer performs this task, even allowing for corrections in tone, warmth, and directness. While Samsung’s Galaxy AI did not highlight such features, it is well within the capability of Galaxy AI.

Apple Intelligence will also enable people to generate AI images using their faces on the device. The “deep-fake” ability has been with us for some time but hasn’t been painted positively.

Apple wants to position it as something to be used for good, and it remains to be seen how well this will land. The big deal here is device processing, which is becoming more critical as we lean on artificial intelligence to help us more.

Image editing has been enhanced, and some functions have been added to match Galaxy AI. Editing images with a simple swipe to remove accidental photo bombers or other unwanted objects is another feature they spoke proudly about. Photography has become one of the biggest draws of mobile devices, and image processing is the cornerstone.

Another feature that was announced is the transcribing of phone calls. We saw this same feature in Galaxy AI, and here, it will be coupled with easy phone recording. Galaxy AI still boasts a little more with the ability to translate and regenerate the audio in the original voice.

The ChatGPT integration with Siri brings about the most exciting aspect: communication between applications. While voice assistants have been with us for some time, the first one was launched in 1952, and Apple’s Siri is turning 13 this year. One of the disappointing features of voice assistants has been how little they can do. ChatGPT integration into Siri will allow Siri to communicate within and between apps to execute commands.

This includes the ability to ‘read” text in images and intelligently process commands. The demonstration had a person asking Siri to retrieve their driver’s license number and enter it into a form. It remains to be seen how effective this will be in practice, but it is the next step that voice assistants need to take to be more helpful.

When ChatGPT released their conversation function, the game changed. This function will also be integrated into Siri, allowing fantastic functionality and conversation. This will give us more intuitive voice commands and a better all-round experience. So expect a more valuable and conversational voice assistant going forward.

The undoubted star of the show was a surprise. For years, Apple fans have lamented the lack of a native calculator app on the iPad. Apple’s response was emphatic with Math Notes. The demonstration shows mathematical expressions written on the screen using the Apple pencil and applying an equals sign to solve.

Furthermore, the demonstrator works out a physics problem interacting with elements in a pencil-drawn image to change variables and solve the equation.

It’s an impressive leap that will not only change the way that students learn mathematics but also the way people use mathematics in real life. While it is expected for “nerds” to be this excited about a calculator, even those who do not identify as such were caught up in the euphoria.

Apple Intelligence = AI

While Apple has decided to go their way with naming their application of Artificial Intelligence, Apple intelligence, there is no doubt what it is. When the Samsung Galaxy S24 series was launched, it was clear that artificial intelligence was the next big frontier for digital devices. Now, Apple’s WWDC 2024 announcements confirm this very much.

While Apple has already released new iPads this year, the big announcement is always the next iPhone.

 For now, AI is here to go big on mobile devices, and by the time the next series of iPhones and the software are launched, we will have many more features developed around the new capabilities. Integrating ChatGPT is an intelligent step for Apple, and the size of its ecosystem can boost ChatGPT’s ecosystem ambitions.