Apple has released a beta version of its much-anticipated Apple Intelligence features, including integration with ChatGPT. These new AI capabilities aim to enhance user experience on newer Apple devices, which investors hope will drive iPhone upgrades. While the AI features were first announced during the summer, they are being gradually rolled out, with the official public release slated for next week alongside iOS 18.1.
The latest batch of features is part of the iOS 18.2 beta, currently available to software developers. Typically, beta versions go through several cycles before being made available to the general public.
Key features included in the iOS 18.2 preview are:
- The ability for users to describe how they want Apple Intelligence to rewrite specific text.
- Genmoji, Apple’s AI-driven tool for creating new emojis.
- Image Playground, a powerful image generation tool using AI.
- Image Wand, which allows users to remove unwanted objects or distractions from photos.
- Integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT for advanced text generation.
However, the long-awaited ability for Siri to perform actions within apps is not included in this update, though Apple has hinted it will be available in a future release.
Apple first revealed its ChatGPT integration in June. While Apple Intelligence and Siri primarily rely on the company’s in-device chips, Apple announced that for more complex queries, users could now rely on responses generated by OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT. When Siri identifies a question as better suited for ChatGPT, it will ask the user for permission to consult the chatbot. Importantly, users do not need an OpenAI account to access these features. Additionally, ChatGPT can be used in text fields across various apps to generate content.
This integration also plays a key role in Apple’s Visual Intelligence feature, where the phone’s camera can recognize text or objects, and even translate signs in real-time.
The collaboration with OpenAI is a significant achievement for the AI startup, which has recently been valued at $157 billion. While neither company has publicly discussed the financial details of their partnership, Apple has hinted that other AI models, such as those from Google, may also be integrated into Apple Intelligence in the future.
Several Apple Intelligence features, including text rewriting and a new look for Siri, are already in public testing and will be part of the iOS 18.1 release next week.
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