We already know that Apple is planning major AI announcements for iOS 18 at WWDC, but a new report has given us a clearer view of what that might look like.
AppleInsider has shared new details about AI-related features for iOS 18, including new capabilities for Siri, Messages, Notes, and photo editing. The collection of AI-powered features, internally codenamed “Greymatter,” is focused on “practical benefits for the end user,” the outlet said. This involves integrating AI features within existing apps and services with the intent of creating a seamless experience that Apple users can easily adopt.
Apple’s AI-powered features are believed to be largely powered by its Ajax LLM, but a rumored deal with OpenAI also means iOS 18 could have ChatGPT-related features. This may include multimodal capabilities for generating and recognizing video, which Ajax reportedly doesn’t have. Apple is expected to support AI features on-device, but given generative AI’s large computing demands (as well as a partnership with OpenAI), some features might be farmed out to the cloud.
Siri’s reported major upgrade
One of the biggest announcements expected at WWDC is a massive revamp of Apple’s voice assistant, Siri. New reports from AppleInsider say this could include something called “Greymatter Catch Up,” which would enable users to request a summary of recent notifications by invoking Siri.
The voice assistant is expected to generally become much smarter and be able to integrate with other apps to incorporate calendar events, locations, and dates into its notification summaries. Apple is also reportedly testing “more natural” voices, which hopefully don’t sound too similar to celebrities, following OpenAI’s Scarlett Johansson debacle.
Smart replies could be coming to Messages, Siri, and Mail
Related to the summarization features reportedly coming to iOS 18 apps, new reports say this could include something called “smart replies,” which recommends messages and email drafts generated by Apple’s LLM. This could be similar to existing features from Google in Gmail and Docs that have been given a generative AI boost.
Notes and Voice Memo could get an AI boost
The Notes and Voice Memo apps are useful for jotting down ideas or recording conversations. Until now, they’ve been pretty barebones tools that simply capture what you don’t want to forget. But with iOS 18, they might get big upgrades. The revamped Siri is rumored to provide summaries or transcripts of Notes or Voice Memos. Additionally, recordings, transcripts, and summaries are reported to be included within the Notes app.
The Notes app might also come with a feature specifically for solving math equations, thanks to integration with the Calculator app. Apple probably has more advanced calculations in mind, but an automated tip-generator would be a godsend.
Apple might catch up to Google’s Magic Eraser and other photo editing tools
Apple is reportedly working on a custom emoji generator for iOS 18 and AI-powered features for the Photos app. It’s unclear whether this is related, but AppleInsider shared how photo editing software on iOS 18 and macOS 15 might come with new generative AI features.
This includes the ability to “clean up” photos by removing objects in the background and possibly generate images, according to references to a “Generative Playground” internal-use application.
It’s worth noting that Google Pixel has had a similar tool in the form of Magic Eraser for some time now, so Apple would be playing catch-up for eager iPhone users.
Apple’s AI-image generating tools might include an integration with Messages, although details beyond that are unknown.
The sources are credible, but all of these rumors and expected announcements are subject to change. Apple loves to keep us on our toes, and we won’t know for sure until June 10 when Tim Cook and co. take the stage.
