• iOS 18 will finally bring generative AI to iPhone devices in what is expected to be the “biggest update ever.”
• AI from Apple itself will be in the form of a suite of tools, while it looks to partner with another firm like Google to launch a chatbot.
• More customisation features are also on the cards of the upcoming update, as well as a new home screen.

In January, Apple was quoted saying that the upcoming update to the iPhone operating system iOS 18 would be the “largest software update” ever for the smartphone lineup. At the time, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that advanced generative AI features are expected to be the focus of the update, as Apple looks to meet the rest of the market in selling AI-flavoured software.

We have a bit more information about the operating system from Gurman in his latest newsletter, published on Sunday.

According to him, “The main event, of course, will be artificial intelligence. You shouldn’t expect a big focus on ChatGPT-like generative AI features. Instead, prepare to see a slew of AI tools that help manage your daily life.”

This would be similar to how Galaxy AI suits Samsung and its ecosystem of devices. The AI works like a suite of tools that can be modded and molded to suit different devices and combinations. For example, a recent update brought Galaxy AI to the latest Galaxy Buds now lets you use live translation features through the buds, while they were originally relegated to just your Galaxy smartphone.

There is also a possibility that Apple could partner with Google to bring generative AI to iPhone devices. Google currently offers its Gemini AI to customers. The tech giant claims that the most powerful version of Gemini is almost as good as GTP-4, OpenAI’s most powerful model available.

Gurman says that Google is one of Apple’s biggest generative AI partners and that at the juncture, the plan is for Gemini to power a chatbot within Apple’s operating systems. This includes OSs other than iOS, such as WatchOS and iPadOS. Meanwhile, Apple’s own AI engine will handle the more “behind the scenes” tasks.

Nothing is set in stone as of right now, and Gurman asserts that Apple may instead work with a range of partners for a generative AI system, not just Google. “If Apple ends up coming to terms with multiple services, it might be similar to how it handles web browser search engine choices,” he writes.

Apple may be looking for outsiders to head up customer-facing generative AI chatbots in order to avoid larger ethical challenges with the technology. Though Google has long faced backlash for its AI decisions. It is also possible that Apple may not care too much about an AI chatbot, but doesn’t want to miss the bandwagon in case its customers ask for one.

It is also extremely expensive to run generative AI, by using a partner firm, someone else is footing the bill on data centre costs.

Also coming in iOS 18 will be a brand new home screen that is more customisable. Gurman also revealed that WatchOS 11 will receive a fairly minor update in the near future, while vision OS – the system that runs Apple’s Vision Pro headset – will receive a 2.0 update this year, codenamed “Constellation.”

[Image – Photo by William Hook on Unsplash]