Artificial intelligence (AI) will soon be coming to iPhones in a move that Apple says will completely change how people use the devices. The iPhone maker's AI tools, branded “Apple Intelligence”, will include an enhanced voice assistant, Siri, in partnership with ChatGPT owner OpenAI.
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Apple isn't the first smartphone maker to adopt AI: the technology is already available in phones like Google's latest Pixel and Samsung's Galaxy series.
But the sheer volume of data required for AI raises concerns about data privacy. Apple has built its reputation on privacy — its ads say “Privacy. That's the iPhone” — and so it claims to be different in this area.
What is Apple Intelligence and when is it available?
Apple Intelligence is the iPhone maker's collective name for its AI features, including the ChatGPT-4o integration that will arrive in the iOS 18 software upgrade.
The first version of iOS 18 will debut alongside Apple's iPhone 16 models in September, while the AI features will arrive later in the iOS 18.1 update scheduled for mid-to-late October.
The first iOS 18.1 Apple Intelligence features available in the beta include new writing tools, suggested replies in the Messages app, email summaries, transcription of phone calls, and more.
You'll notice interactions become more personalized and tasks become faster.
Other features coming later this year or in early 2025 include Image Playground, which lets you create your own animated images within the app, and custom emojis called Genmoji. Meanwhile, long-awaited AI enhancements to Apple's chatbot, Siri, include ChatGPT integration, richer language understanding, and deeper integration with individual apps. Siri can also bring up your calendar, photos, and messages to improve responses to texts. For example, if you ask when your mother's plane is going to land, Siri will figure it out based on your recent messages and emails.
Apple Intelligence is set to roll out globally, but regulatory concerns are expected to mean significant delays in the EU and China.
Because AI requires powerful hardware, the feature won't be compatible with older devices: Apple says that to access all the features, you'll need an iPhone 15 or later, or an Apple device with an M1 or M2 chip.
How will it change the way you use your iPhone?
These features will be rolled out gradually, so you won't see any dramatic changes right away. But with Apple Intelligence enabled, you'll notice your interactions become more personalized and tasks get done faster. For the first time, you'll be able to use a summary tool to write emails on the go, and you'll have the opportunity to record and transcribe phone calls (with the other person's permission, of course). “Performing everyday tasks will become easier and more enjoyable,” says Adam Biddlecombe, co-founder of AI newsletter Mindstream.
Similar to ChatGPT, Apple's intelligent assistant will develop the ability to provide contextual responses, i.e. remember the threads of previous Siri conversations. On the privacy front, a new visual indicator around the Siri icon will let you know if Siri is listening.
But it's worth pointing out that, like any shiny new technology, Apple's AI may have some hiccups at launch. AI models need data to work, and while the technology is improving, even Apple CEO Tim Cook admits he's “not 100% sure” Apple Intelligence won't hallucinate. “I'm confident it's going to be very high quality,” he said in a recent interview. “But to be honest, we're nowhere near 100%. I'm not going to claim it's 100%.”
So unless you have full confidence in the chatbot's accuracy, we recommend double-checking the airline's website to see when your mom's flight will land.
How is ChatGPT on iPhone different from using the ChatGTP app?
Apple uses ChatGPT as a backup to perform functions it can't control itself: Users ask Siri questions, but when Apple's chatbot can't answer more complex requests, it hands the baton over to ChatGPT.
The same goes for writing text and creating images: Apple Intelligence offers these features, but while ChatGPT can write words and create images from scratch, Apple is still not that good at them.
Camden Woolven, head of the AI group at consulting firm GRC International Group, says the main difference between the app and ChatGPT on the iPhone is how it handles data: “When you use ChatGPT directly, your queries go directly to OpenAI's servers. There's no middleman.”
But when using Siri's ChatGPT integration, Apple acts as a “privacy-focused intermediary,” he says.
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“Siri will attempt to fulfill your request directly on your device, but if it can't, it will send some data to Apple servers in an encrypted and anonymized format,” he explains.
If both your device and Apple's servers can't process the request, Siri will contact ChatGPT, “but even in that case, the request still goes to Apple first, where it's anonymized and encrypted before being sent to OpenAI,” Woollven says. “This means that when you use Siri, your data gets an extra layer of privacy protection that you don't get when using ChatGPT directly.”
Users can access the GPT-4o-powered Siri for free without creating an account, and ChatGPT subscribers can connect their account to access paid features, including larger message limits and access to enhanced features like a new voice mode that lets you communicate with ChatGPT over real-time video.
Are my conversations tracked or stored anywhere? If so, by whom?
Apple says that there are built-in privacy protections for users who access ChatGPT, and most of the processing is done on-device, so your data never leaves your iPhone.
IP addresses are hidden, OpenAI does not store your requests, and users who choose to connect their accounts are subject to ChatGPT's data usage policy.
For more complex queries that require the cloud, Apple says it anonymizes and encrypts the data end-to-end before sending it to its servers or to ChatGPT. “This means that neither Apple nor even OpenAI can see the contents of your request, only the encrypted and anonymized version,” Woollven said.
But even anonymized data can still be linked to you if it's specific enough, Woolven warns: “So while Apple isn't directly storing your conversations in a way that can be linked to you, there is still a small risk that very specific queries could potentially be linked to you.”
More broadly, any Apple Intelligence requests that need to be processed outside the user's device are sent to Private Cloud Compute, the company's own private cloud that it claims protects user data from outside sources.
Apple says it will be transparent about when it uses your data, providing a detailed on-device report called the Apple Intelligence Report that shows how your Siri requests were processed, so you can see for yourself what data was used and where it was sent.
But AI needs a lot of information to function, and to perform these functions, Apple will need access to more of your data: “Apple will be able to read your messages, monitor your calendar, track your maps and location, record your calls, view your photos, and understand other personal information,” Moore said.
I'm not sure about this, can I opt out?
Yes, you must turn on Apple Intelligence in Settings, so even if you're concerned about data privacy or have doubts about the accuracy or usefulness of these features, you're under no obligation to use them.
