Apple’s AI moment is here: It’s different, intelligent and quintessentially Apple

Apple Intelligence

Artificial intelligence? Nope. That’s not what Apple is calling it. Instead it has gone for the rather self-effusive term — Apple Intelligence. It’s still AI, it is still ‘artificial’ but it’s different. WWDC 2024 was supposed to be the launchpad for Apple to usher in its AI era. There has been this nagging feeling — among investors and industry watchers — that Apple was playing catchup to Microsoft, Google and Meta in the AI race. Not anymore as Apple came out guns blazing and announced a plethora of features but handled differently.

Apple’s AI approach is different

It came as no surprise to see Apple pitch privacy and user security at the heart of Apple Intelligence. Apple has always prioritised user privacy and that’s one of the key difference from other companies AI approach. Apple has taken time but showcased a mature AI system. Apple wants its AI to be trustworthy and something people don’t have to think twice about using. Or for that matter, go to a separate app or service to use it.

What Apple has done is that it has used AI — Apple Intelligence or Artificial Intelligence (take your pick) — as an ingredient which is sprinkled across Apple apps. Now, these are apps which people already are familiar with and know how to use. So adding the AI magic to it will not feel something different — Apple has just made those existing apps smarter and more intelligent.

You already edit photos or send emails on your iPhone or Mac. Nothing changes there except you have a nifty toolbox of AI-powered features that improves those tasks. There’s no need to give command prompts or download any chatbot/apps as Apple’s integration makes makes AI intuitive and accessible right within those familiar apps.

Take these two examples: Proofread and Summarise. Proofread checks grammar, word choice, and sentence structure while also suggesting edits that users can review or quickly accept. You don’t need to go to any particular app or browser — it just happens systemwide. The same goes with Summarise. Users can select text and have it recapped in the form of a digestible paragraph, bulleted key points, a table, or a list. This also happens across apps. So no chatbot, no app download — it just happens on the iPhone or the MacBook.

Dial P for Privacy

Privacy is something which Apple talks about — and delivers — a lot. So when it comes to AI, its approach is no different. Apple Intelligence prioritises privacy from the ground up. Most requests are processed entirely on your device, keeping your information away from prying eyes – even Apple itself and third-party app developers cannot access them. Apple will use Private Cloud Compute but its down on Apple’s own secure servers with zero access to your data. Apple has also clarified that it has roped in independent experts who can even verify these robust privacy measures. This is a level of transparency rarely seen from competitors like Microsoft, OpenAI or Google.

Apple couldn’t resist a dig at competition when it said that Apple Intelligence is “AI for the rest of us”. While this was just an unveil and as users start testing/interacting with Apple Intelligence, we will see how it performs in the real-world. Apple might be late to the party but it has always been cautious and more so when it is transformative technology like AI — Artificial Intelligence and not Apple Intelligence. This does feel like Apple’s AI moment and it has been done in the quintessential Apple way — private, different and smart.