Siri and Writing Tools – a feature that helps users by rewriting, proofreading and summarizing text – are now integrated with ChatGPT. But the jury is out on whether smartphone users are as jazzed about AI capabilities as Apple.
Apple has integrated ChatGPT with its Writing Tools feature and Siri voice assistant in today's iOS 18.2 release. But whether this will tempt consumers to upgrade their smartphones is another story.
To access the full suite of AI capabilities from Apple Intelligence requires an upgrade to the new iPhone 16; some Apple Intelligence features are also available on the iPhone 15 Pro models. However, 25% of smartphone owners don't find AI features helpful, according to a recent survey by CNET, and just 18% of respondents said AI integrations are their primary motivator for upgrading their device.
"The biggest drivers for buying a new device, according to respondents, are longer battery life (61%), more storage (46%) and better camera features (38%)," reported CNET.
Apple Intelligence updates
Apple said that with the new iOS 18.2 update, users have more options within the Image Playground, which is an animation and illustration app. Apple users can create emojis with Genmoji and access new enhancements in Writing Tools – a feature that helps users by rewriting, proofreading and summarizing text. For example, the "Describe Your Change" feature gives users options for adjusting their writing style and tone.
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro users will have access to insights about their surroundings with visual intelligence in Camera Control. Visual intelligence provides insights into objects and places, can summarize and copy text, provide translations and more.
"And now with ChatGPT integrated into Writing Tools and Siri, users can tap into ChatGPT's expertise without having to switch between apps, helping them get things done faster and easier than ever before," said Apple. "With the ChatGPT integration, Siri can suggest a user access ChatGPT for certain requests, and Siri can provide the response directly."
Privacy concerns
However, some users may have privacy concerns about the integration of Apple Intelligence with ChatGPT. According to CNET's survey, 34% of respondents have privacy concerns about AI on smartphones.
Apple said users can determine whether to enable the ChatGPT integration and have control over when they use ChatGPT and how much information is shared with the service. A ChatGPT account isn't required to use the Apple integration.
"When using ChatGPT without an account, OpenAI will not store requests, and will not use the data for model training," Apple explained. "Additionally, users' IP addresses are obscured to prevent their sessions from being linked together. For those who choose to connect their account, OpenAI's data-use policies apply."
Apple Intelligence uses on-device processing whereas many AI models are run entirely on the device. Apple's approach assists in protecting users' privacy, said the company. AI features that need access to larger models can use Private Cloud Compute, which "extends the privacy and security of iPhone into the cloud," according to Apple. User data in Private Cloud Compute isn't stored or shared with Apple.
Opportunities and headaches
While AI capabilities could provide service providers with "new monetization routes" and "revenue, sharing agreements," AI tech presents "a huge challenge for actually running this infrastructure," Runar Bjorhovde, analyst for Canalys, recently told Light Reading.
"Over the last few years we've seen more and more data being used [by smartphones]… and we don't expect that AI will take less of a load on the infrastructure," Bjorhovde explained.
Data traffic per smartphone averaged 21 gigabytes per month in 2023 and is predicted to reach 56GB per month by 2029, according to an Ericsson report.
Apple's initial launch of its Apple Intelligence AI suite was in October, a month after the iPhone 16 debuted. The first launch of Apple Intelligence included an updated version of Siri, Visual Intelligence and more.
While Apple is tapping ChatGPT to support Apple Intelligence AI features, the company backed out of OpenAI's funding round in October, which totaled $6.6 billion and drew investments from the likes of Microsoft and Nvidia.
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