iPhone AI Features Could Be Faster, but Less Powerful Than ChatGPT and Gemini: Report

As per the report, Apple is likely to develop entirely on-device AI features for its smartphones and other devices.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Apple could reportedly team up with Google for its AI features
  Apple is rumoured to introduce multiple new AI features with the iOS 18.
• Apple’s AI strategy could be revealed during WWDC 2024
  iPhone AI Features Could Be Faster, but Less Powerful Than ChatGPT and Gemini: Report
  As per the report, Apple is likely to develop entirely on-device AI features for its smartphones and other devices.
• Apple is heavily rumoured to introduce its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy in June 2024 during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event. A new report has highlighted that the company could integrate AI features into its iPhone and other devices in an innovative way, ditching the popular chatbot-styled features offered by Samsung’s Galaxy AI and Oppo.
• The need for novel integration also arises as the tech giant is said to offer an entirely on-device AI feature suite, which could make them faster, but less powerful than rivals.

• According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman's, via his Power On newsletter, the Cupertino-based tech firm is gearing up to reveal its AI strategy soon, which could be presented much differently than how AI firms have so far. Instead of presenting an AI chatbot such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini, which offers a conversational interface to access AI tools and features, Apple might integrate it in a new way.

“Rather than touting the power of chatbots and other generative AI tools, Apple plans to show how the technology can help people in their daily lives,” said the report.

The iPhone maker has spent decades building its predictive machine-learning algorithms into many of its basic features. The impact of the technology can be seen in Siri, the Photos App, and recently launched Personal Voices. It is believed that the generative AI features could also be added through an intuitive interface where AI works in the background without requiring the user’s commands.

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Apple Could Reportedly Offer AI Features On-Device With iOS 18, But That Might Come at a Cost
Apple is rumoured to introduce multiple new AI features with the iOS 18.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Apple’s on-device AI features will rely on iPhone hardware for processing
  iOS 18 could arrive with a new AI-powered browsing feature for Safari.
• Apple could partner with Google to use Gemini AI for its features
  Apple might be planning a big upgrade for its iPhone devices with the iOS 18 update. A new report has revealed that the Cupertino-based tech giant is working on introducing artificial intelligence (AI) features for its smartphones at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024, expected to be held in June.
• Interestingly, the company might make all of the AI features available on-device, instead of keeping them cloud-based. Notably, a report last week highlighted that Apple could unveil a new AI-powered browsing feature for Safari which will let users summarise web pages.

• The information comes from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter, where he answered the question of how much of Apple's planned AI features might be cloud-based. As per Gurman, not much at all! The tech giant could make all the features available locally and have it processed on-device itself. This move, if true, can have both upsides and downsides depending on how the iPhone maker handles the issues with AI features.
• Having AI features entirely locally is great for privacy and data security. This means any data shared with the app or the system feature never leaves the user’s iPhone, and the information is unlikely to ever reach a third party. This makes the device more secure, and users do not have to worry about their sensitive data either.
• However, there is a downside. In fact, there are a couple of them. First, AI computers require significantly high amounts of processing power compared to the usual tasks performed by the device.

Most large language models run GPU-based inference on computers. Even smartphones today are working to add special “AI processors” that come equipped with a combination of powerful CPU, GPU, and NPU (Neural Processing Unit).

• Despite this, running complex algorithms locally on the device can be a tricky task. This is why Samsung gives users a choice on whether they want to run certain Galaxy AI features on the device or through the servers.
• For Apple to bring some of these features locally can be a challenging task. And this brings us to the second downside. If Apple remains intent on only offering on-device AI features, it may not be able to offer some of the features competitors are offering. For example, Galaxy AI has an Interpreter feature which translates a verbal conversation between two speakers standing near the phone in real time.
• Similarly, Oppo offers AI-powered image generation capabilities to users in China. Will Apple be able to optimise such features on-device? And will it be able to do it fast enough, so it does not fall behind the competition? WWDC 2024 might answer some of these questions.

Apple Could Reportedly Offer AI Features On-Device With iOS 18
While the ambition is larger, one thing that might prove to be a major hurdle is the company's decision to go ‘on-device' with the implementation of AI. The report highlighted that Apple is likely to keep the AI features running within the device instead of on the cloud for privacy, and while it will improve the overall speed of the features, there is a downside. Limited by the compute capability of the device's hardware, these features may not be as powerful as their rivals.
One solution the tech giant is exploring currently is a partnership with Google, which could help bridge some of the gap. Despite the support, Apple's in-house large language model (LLM) could struggle to match the capabilities and knowledge base of OpenAI's GPT or Google's Gemini given that it would be the first generation of the technology. However, Apple is known to surprise its users by innovating on existing technology. Last year at the WWDC, it was the Apple Vision Pro which showcased the unique capabilities of mixed-reality headsets. This year, it could be Apple AI.