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iOS 18: 3 on-device AI features expected in iPhone 16

By S Pavithran
Updated:

WWDC 2023. SOURCE: APPLE

The annual Apple Worldwide Developer Conference on June 10 is expected to be about two things: iOS 18 and On-device AI. The competition(read Samsung) have already revealed their AI integrations in the beginning of 2024 and Apple's lack of AI announcements beyond a vague statement in their earnings presentation has only heightened the curiosity and interest surrounding WWDC 2024. Before we go into expected features, let's take a look at what exactly on-device AI means.

What is on-device AI?

An on-device AI model processes the data on the device with the computational power of the onboard phone chipset. It does not transfer data to a cloud AI (Like ChatGPT). So the legwork of being a good little AI assistant is all done on the smartphone itself.

What can we expect from an on-device AI?

Apple has declined to mention which features will be having AI baked in. While having AI assist in writing in Notes App and Keynote is a given, Apple does not do just what is expected of them. They strive to make connections in their apps and hardware ecosystems to make seamless switch between apps and between devices. They over-engineer their charging cables. In short, they do things differently.
That is not to say that they haven't fallen short of expectations. "Incremental upgrades" is the catch-all term often mentioned in reviews of Apple devices. Nevertheless, the combination of AI and Apple Engineering is an exciting prospect to look forward to. To see what an on-device AI can do, we check out Apple's competition. Samsung AI is a collection of different sized models, smallest being able to run on devices. The largest models require the power of cloud computing. Samsung claims their on-device AI supports the following
  • Generative AI
  • Image processing
  • Writing assistant
As these features are shown to run on device, AI capabilities on iPhone may be similar. Let's see how they can work on an iPhone.

Generative AI:

Wanna make your friends laugh with a goofy image? On device AI can generate one. With Apple promising to support RCS, this means iPhone users can enjoy seamless rich multimedia messaging with other iPhone and Android smartphone users.

Image processing:

Image editing is expected to bolstered by AI, allowing to edit the photos with a few clicks. The on-device AI may also read text from the images and open links or search prompts for the user directly.

Writing assistant:

The on-device AI is expected help users to generate responses while writing notes or responding to emails. The user may also be able select pre-generated responses for messaging apps or content for their Notes or Keynotes apps.

List of supported devices

The list of devices supported for on-device AI is expected to be smaller, as AI may require more powerful processors. Older devices may get AI later, but it may be in the form of cloud AI. A rumoured deal with OpenAI is in the works, according to macrumors.com, and it may well provide Apple the cloud AI capabilities it needs.

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