Apple to Unveil AI Innovations, OpenAI Partnership at WWDC 2024

Apple is set to make a significant foray into artificial intelligence at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024, but it may not follow the flashy trends set by tech giants like Google, Microsoft, or OpenAI.

According to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, Apple’s AI announcements will likely centre on practical enhancements rather than spectacular new features.

The upcoming event may showcase basic AI functionalities, such as transcribing voice memos and generating auto emojis.

These features align with Apple's reputation for integrating user-friendly, practical tools into its ecosystem.

Additionally, Apple is rumoured to announce a partnership with OpenAI, allowing deeper integration of chatbots into its operating systems.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT could be the first to benefit from this collaboration, with ongoing negotiations to include Google's Gemini and possibly Anthropic.

Gurman reports that Apple's approach to AI will emphasize on-device improvements and practical applications, including enhanced Spotlight search, smarter internet searches with Safari, notification summaries, smart recaps of websites and texts, and writing suggestions for emails and texts.

On-the-fly photo retouching and contextually generated emojis based on text messages are also anticipated.

One of the more anticipated announcements includes a potential overhaul of Siri.

Apple might introduce a more natural-sounding voice for Siri, leveraging their own large language models. Improved Siri functionality on devices like the Apple Watch is also expected.

Apple plans to perform many AI tasks locally on devices released in the last year or so. However, for more complex processes, these tasks will be offloaded to Apple’s M2 Ultra-based servers, ensuring efficiency and performance.

Apart from AI advancements, Gurman hints at new customization options for iOS 18, including the ability to change app icon colors and a more flexible home screen arrangement, allowing users to place app icons anywhere instead of the traditional top-to-bottom, left-to-right format.

While Apple’s AI story may not be as dramatic as its competitors, the focus on practical, user-centric features aligns with its long-standing philosophy of enhancing user experience through thoughtful, incremental improvements.

The tech community eagerly awaits these announcements at WWDC 2024 to see how Apple’s AI innovations will unfold.