What to anticipate from Apple’s AI-focused WWDC 2024, as well as some advice

It’s finally time for the AI craze that gained popularity two years ago with OpenAI’s ChatGPT to advance. This time, Apple has the opportunity to take what many are referring to as the “evolution of the internet” and make it more widely accepted. Apple will provide an early look at how generative artificial intelligence might improve the intelligence of common consumer devices like the Mac and iPhone as well as applications that are used by billions of people every day at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), which begins on Monday.

Though Cupertino may choose to take a more measured approach than its competitors and demonstrate its artificial intelligence advancements gradually, don’t expect revolutionary shifts in Apple’s AI strategy just yet. A sneak peek at what Apple could disclose at its yearly developer conference is provided here.

Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI have had a head start in the AI arms race, leaving many wondering why Apple is lagging behind. The iPhone maker has mostly been tight-lipped about how it sees GenAI playing a much bigger role in the Apple universe, though some argue that Cupertino may be underprepared with the new technology. However, we do know that Apple is under pressure to unveil a strategy and lay the groundwork needed to bring GenAI to its entire product lineup. But whatever Apple announces at WWDC is seen as a work in progress, an early preview of sorts, rather than a complete AI strategy.

Updates for the operating systems powering the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod, and Vision Pro are usually included in WWDC. They will be disclosed, but this time, AI capabilities will be included into OS systems and major applications and functions like Messages, Siri, and Safari.

Later this year, eligible iPhone, iPad, and Mac models will receive the future iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15, which Apple is anticipated to augment with a GenAI layer. Aim for modest, not revolutionary, updates, with an emphasis on improving the services and applications that users depend on on a daily basis. Potential developments for Siri include conversational enhancements, voice memo transcriptions, quicker search times, the capacity to summarize news articles, papers, and alerts, and the application of AI to generate personalized emojis depending on what users are texting.

In any case, these aren’t revolutionary AI features because Google currently offers a lot of them on Pixel devices. Apple is not expected to release a chatbot similar to ChatGPT. Alternatively, the business might collaborate with OpenAI to enhance Siri, its virtual assistant, so that it can perform more intricate duties.

However, whether Apple chooses to go with on-device AI, fully offline or cloud-free AI, or settle for a hybrid AI solution is crucial to the company’s AI strategy. If on-device AI is used, users’ privacy is protected and the experience is quicker (homegrown LLMs play a critical role in this). However, should it decide to collaborate with an outside company for cloud-based functionalities, this may potentially put Apple under the scrutiny of privacy advocates, given that the action calls into question Apple’s claim that it is better off safeguarding user information and security. Right now, Apple’s greatest advantage over Google or Microsoft is trust.

Right now, Apple’s greatest advantage over Google or Microsoft is trust. Although Apple has long promoted privacy as the cornerstone of its strategy, it is unclear how it will handle the privacy concerns around artificial intelligence (AI) that businesses like Google and Microsoft are currently facing.