At long last, it's Apple Intelligence time. After months of seeing features teased, the public will finally be able to try out some of what Apple's suite of AI features has to offer — which, unfortunately, might be less than you're expecting.
The Wall Street Journal sat down with Craig Federighi, Apple's Senior VP of Software Engineering, to talk about all things Apple Intelligence ahead of its iOS 18.1 rollout next week. Many of the highly-anticipated features that debuted at WWDC 2024 — DIY emojis, a smarter Siri, and ChatGPT integration — won't be available with iOS 18.1, and that's on purpose.
Federighi told the WSJ: "You could put something out there and have it be sort of a mess. Apple’s point of view is more like, 'Let’s try to get each piece right and release it when it’s ready.'" This is a much more methodical, safe approach compared to other companies who seem to prefer launching an AI feature first and dealing with backlash later (*cough* Google).
And when it comes to generative AI in photos, specifically, Apple has a much different approach compared to Google — a differing approach they're not afraid to highlight, apparently.
Apple vs. Google: How does generative AI in photos compare?
When it comes to AI and photos, the difference in approach between Google and Apple can't be more stark.
For instance, features like the Pixel's Best Take combine multiple photos, mixing and matching faces from different images, to create a "best overall" picture, while Magic Editor alters pictures' background, moves objects or people, and can fully delete objects from an image.
Similar to Google's Magic Eraser tool, there will be an Apple Intelligence tool that lets you remove unwanted parts of a photo, but that's where the similarities stop. The WSJ writes
Federighi told the WSJ: "People view photographic content as something they can rely on as indicative of reality,” Federighi said. “It’s important to us that we help purvey accurate information, not fantasy."
He further explained, "This is a many-year, honestly, even decadeslong arc of this technology playing out, and so we’re going to do it responsibly."
So for now, iOS 18.1 will feature a neat clean-up tool for photos, notification summaries, a basic Writing Tools feature, and helpful how-to guides direct from Siri. All the other exciting features we've seen teased from Apple will come in time, but it's clear Apple won't be rushing to release them before they're ready.
