At this point, it’s no secret that Apple has a slew of AI features planned that it will showcase at the upcoming WWDC 2024, scheduled for June 10. It appears that Apple’s first apps will be the main beneficiaries of AI features. AppleInsider has revealed some of the AI features coming to the Safari browser with iOS 18 and macOS 15 and Apple has big plans for its browser.
First, Apple will revamp Safari and launch it under the name “Safari 18”. The revamped Safari will bring UI changes, new content blocking features, and an AI-powered tool named Intelligent Search.
Safari 18 – Smart Search Feature
The smart search functionality on Safari should take inspiration from the article summary functionality of Arc Browser. It is assumed that Apple will deploy the AI LLM model on the device dubbed Ajax to facilitate this feature. The feature will provide a quick summary of selected text or an article on the Internet.
While this may be similar to the functionality offered by other AI companies like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, the highlight would be security as it will be coupled with the already existing Private Relay functionality. For the uninitiated, Private Relay is part of the iCloud+ subscription and hides the websites you visit from your network provider and websites.
This would result in a more secure search experience for users. X user Nicolas Alvarez mentioned a similar feature in the upcoming Safari a few days ago.
Web Eraser
Another Safari AI feature detailed by AppleInsider is Web Eraser. Currently in testing, Safari’s Web Eraser feature would allow users to “delete or erase specific parts of web pages.” Using this Safari feature, users could remove unwanted banner ads, content, text, and images from a web page.
As for its implementation, Apple will remember which part of the web page the user deleted previously and a prompt will be displayed to inform users of the deleted content. Users can then choose to view the web page with the clipped content or with the original view. 1Blocker, a third-party ad blocker for Safari, already offers this feature.
Safari 18 UI changes
There will also be some changes to the Safari 18 UI in the menus and share sheet, especially on macOS, allowing users to access various tools more easily. Apple is working to consolidate Safari settings and tools into a centralized menu instead of visiting the Settings app. Pressing the menu button in Safari 18 will give you options like Clear Web Content, Disable Content Blockers, and Smart Browsing.
AI-powered visual search (coming in 2025)
Later in 2025, Apple will likely integrate an AI-powered visual search feature into Safari, which would work similarly to how Siri identifies animals and people in the Photos app. Additionally, this will be a system-wide feature, meaning users will be able to see visual search results in Safari by selecting a photo. This feature is still in the testing phase and there is no confirmation if it will see the light of day.
Will Safari finally compete with other browsers?
In its current state, Safari is not far from its competitors but they stand out in particular thanks to the new AI features. Recently, Arc browser has become the talk of the town. My colleague tried Arc Browser on Windows and it opened up a new way to browse the web. Safari 18, with its rumored features, could be on par with other browsers. Many of my friends already prefer Safari over Chrome for its simplicity and the privacy features it offers. With new additions, he could further consolidate his position.
The death knell for Intel Mac users?
With all the hype about AI, it would be interesting to see if these new AI features on Safari would work on Intel-based Macs, since Intel processors in Macs lack neural engines. There is no doubt that most AI features would leverage the Neural Engine and in this case, this could be the final nail in the coffin for Intel Mac users.
For official confirmation, we’ll have to wait until Apple unveils the new Safari, iOS 18, and macOS 15 at WWDC 2024.
What other features would you like to see in the new revamped, AI-powered Safari?
