CNN —
Imagine asking Apple's Siri to show you an old photo from your child's second birthday, or summarizing a long email or writing a draft for you. Now imagine Siri learning your schedule, preferences, and even your personality so it can better communicate with you throughout the day.
Generative AI — artificial intelligence that can provide thoughtful, thorough answers to questions and prompts — could breathe new life into Apple's iPhone lineup at a time when competitors threaten to overtake Apple in the race to shape potentially world-changing technology.
The company is widely expected to partner with ChatGPT developer OpenAI ahead of its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, where it will likely show off the first suite of AI tools that will be included in its iOS software.
Artificial intelligence has powered some iPhone experiences for years, like live text and improved autocorrection, but generative AI could enable new levels of interaction and personalization. All this comes at a time when the company is under pressure to catch up with rivals like Google and Samsung, which have already adopted the technology in their smartphones.
“We see generative AI as a key opportunity across our entire range of products and believe it is a differentiating advantage,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the company's most recent earnings call in early May, noting that news would be announced in the “coming weeks.”
Apple isn't always the first to adopt new technologies — it typically aims to spend years researching, developing and perfecting them before incorporating them into new products — but the speed at which the world is adopting generative AI may be accelerating the company's need for smartphones equipped with cutting-edge technology.
The launch of the AI-enabled iPhone could encourage consumers to upgrade at a time when they are still holding on to older models. Apple reported first-quarter revenue of $90.8 billion, down 4% from the same period a year ago. The tech giant continues to struggle with growth challenges amid an uncertain economic environment, especially in China.
Now all attention has shifted to Apple's generative AI efforts, let's see how it plays out on the iPhone.
It's unclear what the iPhone will specifically look like in the world of generative AI, but experts largely believe the biggest entry point will be Siri, the company's virtual assistant, which has had a mixed track record.
The integration with OpenAI's latest ChatGPT-4o model could propel Siri years into the future, essentially transforming it into a chatbot for your iPhone. This could allow Siri to perform specific tasks, like recalling photos taken years ago on your device or answering detailed questions about the weather, news, and trivia. Over time, it could learn your preferences and even your personality and respond accordingly.
Given that competitors have already introduced generation tools, it's likely the iPhone will also begin to assist users with other tasks, such as suggesting email summaries or drafts, or initiating the online purchase return process.
Samsung's “circle to search” feature, which allows users to quickly find information on their device's screen with a finger gesture, has garnered a lot of attention and been featured in marketing campaigns. Multimodal capabilities in AI systems that can simultaneously interpret and generate different types of data, such as text and images, such as analyzing video footage or detecting spam during a phone call, could also be part of the tools, said Paul Schell, an industry analyst at technology intelligence firm ABI Research.
“Given its relative simplicity and appeal beyond simple image search, it's likely we'll see a similar feature in Apple's products,” Schell said, “but verbal interaction with a Siri-like bot will be much more natural and fluid, and its capabilities will extend far beyond the traditional narrow realm of news and weather.”
The AI iPhone can also automatically and seamlessly adapt to the user based on voice, audio, natural language, images and contextual hints.
“Generative AI will give the next-generation iPhone a sixth sense, allowing it to scan and interact with the world around it,” said Thomas Hasson, an analyst at market research firm Forrester.
Generative AI will also likely change Apple's entire ecosystem by being built into its own apps like Apple Maps, iMovie, and iPhoto, and developer tools will also be released to help brands develop new experiences through their own apps.
Apple has reportedly been working behind the scenes to develop on-device generative AI capabilities, acquiring companies like Canadian startup DarwinAI, and also has a machine learning research division dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence.
But after the launch of ChatGPT ignited the AI arms race in late 2022, followed by companies like Google, Microsoft and Meta dedicating significant resources to developing related tools, Apple has remained relatively silent about its vision for an AI-powered future.
Nabila Popal, senior research director at market research firm IDC, said pressure to join the talks was likely the reason for the company's accelerated timeline.Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Apple was close to a deal with OpenAI to use its ChatGPT technology in iPhones, after holding similar talks with Google.
“Apple usually takes its time and doesn't rush the Android race. [impact its moves]”Whether it's foldables, 5G, augmented reality, virtual reality,” Popal said, “and Apple does it better than anyone else.”
“But this time around, the AI situation is different,” she says. “It's as if Apple has been forced to show its cards early on.”
She said consumers will value AI capabilities above all other features when choosing premium devices, especially in China, where Apple is losing market share.
“This is not just down to Huawei's resurgence, but also the 'AI deficiency' in its devices,” she said. “Chinese consumers want more from their premium smartphones.”
Apple reminded audiences at its recent iPad event that it has been using artificial intelligence in its products for years, including the neural processing engine that powers its A11 bionic chip, but now it needs to demonstrate its commitment to artificial intelligence to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving industry.
“It's no longer a question of whether Apple will announce something about generative AI, but that they must if they want to achieve growth in this highly competitive and innovative smartphone market, especially in China. … AI is one train that Apple cannot miss.”
