There were several threads related to different aspects of what Apple may or may not do related to AI.
With WWDC just around the corner, I thought I would start a separate thread devoted entirely to Apple and AI, both rumors and what we hear at WWDC. I am posting a link to a MacRumors article to get things started.
If accurate, I like the approach of opting in or out.
Technology is at its best when it is invisible.
I want silent assistant working in the background doing its magic. No fireworks or headaches from additional frictions.
I think Apple has done quite well in how they have implemented AI. Slow, continuous, behind the scenes improvements. Examples include computational photography in the camera app, driving suggestions in Maps, suggestions in Music (could be better), improvements in predictive typing, even the much maligned Siri does better for me these days.
Hopefully they don’t blow it by jumping on the gen AI hallucinogenic artificial idiot band wagon.
Can you be a bit more candid? I’m not sure where you stand on this AI thing. 
I’ve been keeping up with the rumors & reports but I really don’t know what to expect next week. A couple hundred million people have already tried ChatGPT, etc. on their existing devices. And everything that does not run “on-device” will be running on Microsoft Azure (and/or Google) servers until Apple can build their new data centers. Which is going to add to Apple’s expenses.
Microsoft and Google are rolling AI into their business systems. Apple can add it to Spotlight, Music and Photos, etc. but everyone is expecting a new Siri. Gene Munster says “people are going to give Siri one more try . . . they better nail that piece”.
Thanks for posting that video, it was informative and interesting!
What I’m really hoping for is that the AI introductions are measured and thoughtful and not just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. That’s at least how I perceive the difference between Apple and other large companies and this is the first hype cycle where I’ve seen people who normally align with that view feel quite strongly that Apple is “behind” and needs to “catch up”
The details of what that means I hope is pleasantly surprising 
Other voice assistants may give better results, but I stick with Siri because I trust Apple more than Meta and Google to keep my interactions with it private and on-device, and I agree that it’s gotten better.
I like that starting with Apple Watch 9, Siri now works on-device there, too, thanks to the improved processor and twice the storage of its predecessor.
FYI on hardware, specifically silicon chipsets
Having been involved in the past heavily with engineering workstations and the advanced software to design modern, huge silicon chips, I find that a lot of people are not aware of the following:
Complete cycle from concept of a new (or upgraded) chip to silicon rolling off the semiconductor fab manufacturing lines is a process that can take 3 years or more.
So regardless of marketing hype, pr departments, or bloviating, any silicon you see from any company (Apple, Intel, Nvidia, Google, etc.) was at least 3 years in the making.
So any “hot AI features” that seem like a quick reaction to current market fads and trends, had to be conceived several years ago, or earlier.
Now, most very large companies have several generations of silicon in design at any time; that’s how Apple and others keep rolling out new Ax series chips annually, but it is a complex staggered timeline of overlapping projects.
A mind-boggling corollary: The new chips we learn about now continue to be fascinating, yet two or three more advanced generations are already in the design pipeline at the same time!
+1
As proof of this, three days ago Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, announced that their newest chip the Blackwell due out this year, would be followed next year by the Blackwell Ultra.
Then he said “I’m not sure if I’m going to regret this or not” and announced that the Blackwell Ultra would be followed by the Rubin and that would be followed by the Rubin Ultra. And all chips were in current development.
Isn’t it the opposite? In the same way Google pays Apple for the privilege of being the default Safari search engine, OpenAI will likely pay Apple as part of their deal to be the preferred AI chatbot in iOS 18.
Google pays Apple 36% of the revenue it makes showing advertisements to Safari users.
OpenAI runs on Microsoft Azure and Microsoft is expecting utilization of their servers to increase significantly. As a result one report says MS has asked for a cut of the money OpenAI makes from Apple.
How Apple Fell Behind in the AI Arms Race
With a new urgency on AI technology, Kittlaus, the Siri co-founder, said this year could be an important one for Siri as the company plans to incorporate thoughtful AI features into the iPhone. “Siri has been stuck in the mud for years,” he said. “But I absolutely see a renaissance coming.”
Everybody gets hung up on Siri, but if you have real-world workflows that AI improves, that’s the real money.
I’ve got a music side project. Shortly after I started recording tracks, Logic added their Mastering Assistant feature. It’s an AI tool that masters your track for you to industry standard volume (and adjusts the EQ too to avoid wonky stuff).
This feature is incredible. I don’t really know how to master music, which is a separate skill from merely mixing it, and I can’t afford to send every song I record (at least 1 a week) to a pro.
This feature alone basically guarantees I use Logic. I’m sure other editors have similar features, but I mean, for the pittance I spent on Logic, it’s as close to perfect as could be.
I’m looking for more AI stuff like that. (Another example: sort out which photos look like they were taken 2 seconds apart, find the one where everybody isn’t blinking, stack the others please. Do this with all photos, not just the photos taken with an iPhone. Etc.)
I don’t think the exact terms of the deal have been reported, but my best guess is that OpenAI is paying Apple to acquire users for ChatGPT (like how Google pays Apple to acquire iOS search traffic), not the other way around.
The terms of the deal will probably never be reported. The details of the Google Apple deal only came out in the US v Google case.
Maybe we’ll learn more monday about project ACDC. Lets hope they won’t use a ACDC song….
May not like the overall direction Apple is going, but somewhat comforted to know how mostly on-device it’s going to be. Distressed not to know yet what can be turned off or disabled; OTOH, Apple has a much better record than Microsoft of respecting a user’s wishes and leaving alone their unique settings.
@Bmosbacker Thank you for giving a really good overview of the coming changes.
Smart replies? Yikes! Spellcheck and autocomplete already get me into too much trouble …