Apple unveils new iPhones built for generative AI

The tech giant has a lot riding on the new iPhone 16 and hopes that customers are enticed to buy the latest models, attracted by new AI powers

Apple on Monday unveiled new iPhones built for generative AI as it seeks to boost sales and show it is keeping up in the technology race.

The tech giant has a lot riding on the new iPhone 16 and hopes that customers are enticed to buy the latest models, attracted by new AI powers.

We are thrilled to introduce the first iPhones designed from the ground up for Apple Intelligence and its breakthrough capabilities, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said at an event at the company’s headquarters.

“Apple Intelligence” is a new suite of software features for all devices that was announced in June at the company’s annual developers conference, where it also announced a partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

The features will be available as a software download on the iPhone 16 and other premium models next month, but only as a test and in English. Other languages would follow down the road.

In the short-term, the new powers would include AI-infused image editing, translation, and small, creative touches in messaging, but not more ambitious breakthroughs.

I think that people are going to love what we are doing with Apple Intelligence, Cook told AFP at the event. When you start using it, it just changes your life.

The new iPhones will also feature a new Camera Control Button that can automatically search for things taken by photo or adding a calendar item based on the photo of a concert poster.

The AI features today are incremental, but going forward they look to be transformative, Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart said of capabilities coming to new iPhones.

Longer term, Apple could dramatically change the iPhone experience with a “super-powered Siri” working across all the apps, Greengart added.

Launched over 12 years ago, Siri has come to be seen as a dated feature, overtaken by a new generation of assistants like GPT-4o, OpenAI’s latest offering.