Can iOS 18 Transform Apple From A Latecomer To An AI Leader?

Apple has a vision for its AI efforts, and it does not revolve around a single model, allowing it to practice the technology on a need-per-basis model with several small and big language models working together. This saves the company time and memory to handle user commands in a more profound manner, with some models working on-device while others that require more processing power are sent to the cloud. After its big announcement, could iOS 18 transform Apple from a latecomer to an AI leader in the industry?

iOS 18 comes packed with small and large models that Apple packaged as Apple Intelligence, but are they enough to lead the industry?

iOS 18 is the company's stepping stone into the AI category, offering various AI tools that transcend to the consumer level. Apple has implemented the technology in almost all aspects of iOS, which means that it is oriented toward everyone. When it comes to the feature set and its execution, we can consider Apple to be at the forefront, but we also have to consider Google's efforts in the same respect. Google's Gemini platform operates in the same manner, allowing Pixel devices and other Android smartphones to perform tasks that would not have been possible prior to the AI uproar.

Despite Apple's late entry into the market, the company's application of AI has been received with grace, and to be fair, it is way more practical than the competition. As mentioned earlier, AI in iOS 18 consists of several big and small language models working together to serve users as per their needs. For instance, most of the AI happening on an iPhone will be handled on the device, but if the task is complex, it will be sent to Apple's cloud-based servers.

The company's approach not only saves time but also contributes to better privacy for the users. On-device processing would make operations faster, and it would also save costs on Apple's end when building servers. We believe the company is headed in the right direction in this regard, as it will save on server costs while offering the same utility to the end user. This is all thanks to the smaller models that do not require a hefty amount of computing power and memory, allowing the problem to be solved on the device rather than sending the information to the cloud.

The company has packaged its small and large language models and called them Apple Intelligence instead of referring to each model as a different puzzle piece. The company also branded its strategy with a dedicated name in a very "Apple" way. While the company's approach is different, it is still following the industry in many respects, which includes text-based utilities for editing, proofreading, and providing summaries.

Besides the new text-based features, Apple has also indulged in image processing, a feature that exists as a beginner compared to what the industry has achieved. For instance, the company's Genmoji is a custom emoji creation tool, and while iOS 18 has the ability to generate images, the results are quite cartoon-like, but we have to admit that the company has only stepped into the category.

Apple has also integrated Siri with ChatGPT as part of its deal with OpenAI. Apple executive John Giannandrea states that Apple Intelligence features a 3-billion parameter model, which is nothing compared to the 175-billion parameters of the GPT-3 model from 2020. For reference, the more parameters there are, the more memory and computing power is required to run the specific model. In this regard, Apple's approach is faster compared to the cloud-based solution.

While on-device models are small, the technique has a clear benefit. The model can gather information from the iPhone, provide a more relevant solution, and open doors for new features. In the same manner, Apple Intelligence can gather personal information such as location, appointments, and much more and provide relevant information. The company also states that it is making sure that the small AI models only perform tasks that they are good at while the rest of the operations will be handed to the servers.

Privacy is another major aspect that Apple has paid a lot of attention to, but it will also be a challenge. While various companies collect data to improve or further train their AI models, Apple announced at its WWDC event that it had taken proper measures to not keep track of user data. One major advantage that Apple has over its competitors is its vast user base. The features will be used by millions of users on a daily basis, given how popular the iPhone is.

To conclude, Apple has only started developing its AI features, and it will only get better from here. We can not state if Apple will be the market leader once iOS 18 goes live, but it will be a solid contender that other companies will follow. Do you think Apple will introduce additional AI features with the launch of its upcoming iPhone 16 lineup?

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