Apple unveils new AI tools and OpenAI partnership at WWDC’24

Apple CEO Tim Cook, on Monday, introduced a series of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) products and services at the company’s annual developer conference, WWDC. These include a new system called "Apple Intelligence" and a partnership with ChatGPT-maker, OpenAI.  

Apple's new AI system offers Gen AI tools designed to automate and personalise experiences on its devices. The system will be integrated into the operating systems of Mac laptops, iPad tablets, and iPhones, allowing it to pull information from and interact with various apps. 

During the keynote, Apple confirmed its partnership with OpenAI. This collaboration will bring ChatGPT technology to a new version of Siri, the voice assistant. The updated Siri will function as an AI chatbot, able to receive written instructions and take actions within apps based on voice prompts. Siri will also be able to search through emails, texts, and photos to find specific information. 

Users will access ChatGPT's capabilities on Apple devices through iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia by later this year. This will enable Siri to answer questions more comprehensively and enhance built-in writing tools with content generation and image creation features. Apple assured users that their IP addresses will be hidden, and OpenAI will not store requests made through Siri. However, ChatGPT’s data-use policies will apply when users connect their accounts. 

Apple also announced an updated operating system for its Vision Pro headset. Previously available only in the US since its release in February, the virtual reality device will be available in China, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom in the next two months. 

The new version, visionOS 2, was also announced that includes productivity enhancements and new immersive experiences. One feature allows users to spatialise regular photos into interactive experiences using AI and machine learning. Another new navigation option lets users switch to the home screen with a tap or access the control centre by flipping their hand. 

visionOS 2 also adds train support to the travel mode feature on the Vision Pro. Later this year, Apple will introduce higher-display resolution and sizes for the Mac virtual display capability, along with mouse pairing support. This feature allows Vision Pro users to view content from a connected Mac in an immersive desktop view.