Rumored artificial intelligence features in iOS 18 will be “on-device”

You’ve probably heard by now that Apple is making big moves in artificial intelligence to compete with rivals like Microsoft and Google. The upcoming M4 chipset for Macs and MacBooks is designed to work with artificial intelligence. And when it comes to mobile devices, the upcoming iOS 18 will have a big focus on artificial intelligence, and your iPhone will have new features based on it.

According to Bloomberg insider Mark Gurman, Apple is looking to continue its privacy-focused ethos in its products with artificial intelligence — at least where possible.

According to Bloomberg insider Mark Gurman, Apple is looking to continue its privacy-focused ethos in its products with artificial intelligence — at least where it can.

«In anticipation of Apple’s big artificial intelligence presentation on June 10, it looks like the first wave of features will run exclusively on the device»— Gurman writes in its paid newsletter Power On (first reported by MacRumors). «That means there won’t be a cloud processing component to the company’s big language model, the software that makes the new features work».

At least not in the company’s big language model, the software that makes the new features work.

What does this mean?”

In essence, Apple continues to care about user privacy by ensuring that your data stays «on the device». Most AI platforms require your data to be sent to their cloud servers, as generative AI models are usually very resource intensive. However, if Apple sticks to its chosen course, the company won’t do that. Instead, it will use the iPhone’s processing power to handle the artificial intelligence features, meaning your data will never leave the iPhone.

And it will use the iPhone’s processing power to handle the artificial intelligence features, meaning your data will never leave the iPhone.

One problem is that even newer iPhone models can struggle to handle some particularly intensive AI functions. Some AI functions may not be available at all on older iPhone models. However, there seems to be a catch here. Apple can only fully adhere to privacy standards for the products it creates. With Apple lagging behind its competitors in the AI race, the company is keen to partner with third-party companies to release its AI products sooner rather than later.

Apple’s goal is to ensure that its AI products are available sooner rather than later.

According to Gurman, Apple has discussed AI partnerships with OpenAI, Google and even China’s Baidu. iPhone owners using iOS features powered by these companies’ cloud computing infrastructure will find that their data is being sent outside of their device. Apple is reportedly building its own cloud infrastructure to handle artificial intelligence, but judging by these reports, it won’t be ready for the big iOS 18 announcement. And that’s where third-party developers are likely to come to the rescue.

And that’s where third-party developers will likely come to the rescue.