KATE THOMPSON DAVY: What the doctor ordered: Apple debuts much-anticipated AI updates and OpenAI deal

Fashionably late but predictably glamorous, Apple finally graced the artificial intelligence (AI) fiesta on Monday as CEO Tim Cook launched a host of AI integrations during his Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2024) keynote address. 

Before you pelt me with fact-check emails, Apple was indeed a pioneer in on-mobile AI. In fact, Apple’s voice-powered helpmate Siri has long been my go-to example in presentations, to illustrate to audiences how they’ve likely engaged with AI long before the current boom. 

Launched in 2011, Siri has become commonplace enough for even those who do not regularly use it to know the name and what it does. Siri, Alexa and their virtual assistant peers use AI for natural language processing and generating — how they perceive and “understand” what is being asked of them, and how they reply — as well as machine learning to improve incrementally. 

Siri was kind of astounding over a decade ago, but these digital voice-assist services have since become rather pedestrian. This is especially true in technologically advanced and developed nations, where internet users enjoy bountiful data and blistering internet speeds and whole homes are decked out in networked devices — not just the glowing rectangles in our pockets.

Siri arguably defined the category, but I think it is fair to say it has since languished and been surpassed. The exponential gains in generative AI chatbots since 2022 have cast Apple’s failure to consistently push Siri and AI in a stark light. 

Consequently, unveiling a host of AI tools at WWDC24 wasn’t a bombshell. The market expectation was there, and insiders had confirmed as much to the media in the build-up. Even the Open AI partnership that will see ChatGPT integrated into Siri had been rumoured. It is nevertheless a welcome shift for both investors and consumers.

Embracing AI with both hands is a huge opportunity to catch up. Apple partners rarely and judiciously. Cook turning to the Microsoft-backed OpenAI here could be the necessary “playing nice with others” tactic they desperately needed to get back on the AI board. But OpenAI has not been a wholly uncontroversial figure and many will question this partnership decision.

Those calling for AI caution have warned that the pace of development must be moderated and the ethics of inputs and outputs reconsidered. A far less academic objector can also be found in Elon Musk, whose ongoing beef with OpenAI had him tweeting threats to ban Apple devices from Tesla, X and his other businesses following the WWDC reveals.

For now, Apple’s stance seems to acknowledge that being too aloof has been a problem lately. It’s not just in partnership. Playing nice with developers can be a considerable boost, an outsourced innovation team. Just look at how Amazon’s Alexa evolved. The incredible number of “skills” (130,000 and counting) incorporated in a relatively short timespan is a direct result of inviting developers to the table, bringing more devices and functionality into the universe. 

More doors can mean less security, but this is a line Apple is evidently now prepared to walk with partners and developers. During a post-keynote event senior vice-president Craig Federighi confirmed plans to collaborate with more third parties, name-dropping Google's Gemini model as one example.

AI is already present in our photo album and health apps, now it will slide into our mobiles in many new ways

With ChatGPT in the mix, we’re expecting Siri to show a significant leap in understanding, multitasking, access to information in other apps and better responses that should make it appreciably more useful and — dare I say — relevant again. 

AI is already present in our photo album and health apps, now it will slide into our mobiles in many new ways. On Monday Apple showcased its AI-generated personal emojis, where the AI understands who you are speaking to and offers ways to personalise that chat.

In its Apple TV+ system, an AI tool called InSight can be deployed to draw out contextual supplementary information while you watch, such as actors’ names and songs playing in the background. You can even add said songs directly to your Apple Music playlists. 

All of this is powered by what they’re calling Apple Intelligence, an intentional and somewhat “cringey” play on AI. In his presentation, Cook emphasised that Apple Intelligence will promote personalisation based on better understanding of your routine, relationships and communication, without compromising on safety — a promise to be tested, no doubt. “Together all of this goes beyond AI. It’s personal intelligence, and it’s the next big step for Apple,” he said.

Cook promised developers (the express audience for this event) that Apple Intelligence features would be added to software development kits to support adding new prompts to Siri, and enabling AI image generation. Also on the agenda were macOS Sequoia with iPhone mirroring; iOS 18, with individual app locking and more control over the layout of apps on your wallpaper; a messages via satellite option; a new passwords app; and more — a considerable update at last. 

Now for the big ol’ qualification: Apple Intelligence will only be incorporated into new-and-high-powered-enough devices. That means iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, and Macs and iPads with an M1 or newer chips. This is a pragmatic limitation because AI functionality is processing-power hungry. It is also strategic genius from Apple. 

The innovation curve on our devices has somewhat levelled off. The leaps from generation to generation have been shortening, and the stratification between tiers of devices flattening. This, combined with skyrocketing prices and an increasingly price-sensitive market, means many mobile consumers are exiting the upgrade merry-go-round, and hanging on to their devices longer.

A step-change in functionality like this is likely to give consumers a push back towards flagship devices — at least for the next crop of them. 

• Thompson Davy, a freelance journalist, is an impactAFRICA fellow and WanaData member.