Will it make our lives better? Apple claims its new AI programme will let us use our devices more efficiently. But some worry it will steal our privacy and control our lives.
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Apple to launch phone that can think for us
Will it make our lives better? Apple claims its new AI programme will let us use our devices more efficiently. But some worry it will steal our privacy and control our lives.
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PreviousNext
We are in the midst of an artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence, or "AI," is the ability for a computer to think and learn. With AI, computers can perform tasks that are typically done by people, including processing language, problem-solving, and learning. explosion.1 Yet one tech giant has been curiously quiet: Apple.2
No longer. CEOThe Chief Executive Officer is the highest ranking person in a company. They are responsible for making decisions about the company's future. Tim Cook has unveiled Apple Intelligence: a new AI programme that will live inside the next generation of iPhones.
Too many TikTok notifications? Apple Intelligence will put the important ones on top. Hundreds of messages on your group chat? Apple Intelligence will neatly summariseGive you the key points. them. Unsure how to tell a friend you cannot see them? Apple Intelligence can find the perfect reply.
Some are thrilled. The Washington Post's Josh Tyrangiel describes Apple Intelligence as "the life hacker that improves emails and saves time".
Most AI programmes require input from a user. But Apple Intelligence will be fully integrated into a phone. It will provide suggestions based on what it learns about you from your contacts, calendar, messages, browsing habits and other shreds of data. It will knit more closely into our lives than any AI before.
This might be a turning point in our relationship with AI. As Kyle Chayka writes in The New Yorker: "AI is entering our personal lives."
Whether this is a good thing is up for debate. Phones will choose what we see, read and hear. They will shape how we remember things. This could take away our sense of self.
Some worry about security. Apple claims that its software will be safe. The data is stored in the phone itself rather than on the cloudEssentially, "the cloud" is another way to refer to the internet. Cloud computing involves storing your documents online and/or syncing them with other information on the internet., keeping it close to the user.
But Apple has struck a deal with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. When a user has a problem too complex for Apple Intelligence, it will be sent to ChatGPT.3 Open AI might take users' data.
Others warn that AI poses an even bigger threat. AI engineers have begun talking of p(doom): the probability that an AI will go rogueDishonest, unprincipled or acting without the permission of the group. and destroy humanity. Apple Intelligence could mark the start of this takeover.
Will it make our lives better?
Yes: Life is full of irritating tasks. The more of these that AI can do for us, the more time we will have to live for ourselves. It is no different from any other tool.
No: Humans thrive by solving problems. AI will take care of all that for us, doing the hard work while serving us weak content. We might rot as a result.
Or... Apple Intelligence will only be available in the newest, priciest iPhones. Most people will have to wait years to use it - by which point something else will have come along.
Artificial Intelligence - Artificial intelligence, or "AI," is the ability for a computer to think and learn. With AI, computers can perform tasks that are typically done by people, including processing language, problem-solving, and learning.
CEO - The Chief Executive Officer is the highest ranking person in a company. They are responsible for making decisions about the company's future.
Summarise - Give you the key points.
The cloud - Essentially, "the cloud" is another way to refer to the internet. Cloud computing involves storing your documents online and/or syncing them with other information on the internet.
Rogue - Dishonest, unprincipled or acting without the permission of the group.
Apple to launch phone that can think for us
Next generation: Apple's AI devices will be sold in the USA this autumn and in Europe in 2025. Glossary
Artificial Intelligence - Artificial intelligence, or “AI,” is the ability for a computer to think and learn. With AI, computers can perform tasks that are typically done by people, including processing language, problem-solving, and learning.
CEO - The Chief Executive Officer is the highest ranking person in a company. They are responsible for making decisions about the company's future.
Summarise - Give you the key points.
The cloud - Essentially, “the cloud” is another way to refer to the internet. Cloud computing involves storing your documents online and/or syncing them with other information on the internet.
Rogue - Dishonest, unprincipled or acting without the permission of the group.