The push in iOS 18 is rumored to focus on privacy with processing done directly on the iPhone, which will not connect to cloud services.
Siri should get a big upgrade with iOS 18
Over the past few months, we’ve heard a lot about Apple’s AI efforts and the features it aims to introduce later this year with iOS 18 and macOS 15. Various sources have all claimed that Apple would introduce AI-related improvements.
It looks like the first batch of features will work without the need for an internet connection.
BloombergMark Gurman, writing in a section of his weekly PowerOn newsletter, said Sunday that the initial set of AI-related features Apple plans to launch with iOS 18 will “work entirely on the device.” In practice, these AI features could work without an internet connection or any form of cloud-based processing.
AppleInsider has received information from people familiar with the matter suggesting that the report’s claims are accurate. Apple is working on a large internal language model, or LLM, known internally as “Ajax.”
Although more advanced features will eventually require an Internet connection, basic text analysis and response generation functionality should be available offline.
As for individual apps, we’ll likely see improvements in Messages, Safari, Spotlight Search, and Siri. Apple has been testing generating text responses on the device for some time, meaning this feature will most likely be among the first previewed or released.
More advanced AI-related features and enhancements will still require an internet connection. Apple is reportedly discussing licensing AI technology from Google and OpenAI for use in iOS 18 rather than developing its own online LLM.
The significant increase in the popularity of AI projects in recent years is likely the reason for Apple’s apparent interest in artificial intelligence. AI tools have become increasingly accessible to everyday consumers, and problems have emerged in the legal and education sectors.
On-device processes could help eliminate some of the controversies encountered with server-side AI tools. For example, these tools are known to hallucinate, meaning they confidently invent information.
And the problem of hallucinations has only gotten worse, as AI models feed on content generated by other AI models.
With its new LLM “Ajax”, the company is likely looking to build a competitor to the tools currently available on the market. By eliminating the requirement for cloud-based processing and improving the quality of text generation, the company could gain a significant advantage over competing AI-based services and tools.
Apple will reveal its AI plans at WWDC, which begins June 10.
