Apple WWDC 2024: Apple gears up for its much-anticipated annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) scheduled to commence tonight (June 10), promising an array of exciting updates and innovations. Foremost among the revelations expected at the event is the tech giant's significant leap into the realm of artificial intelligence (AI), poised to revolutionise its product ecosystem.


Renowned for its unveilings of cutting-edge software and features across its range of devices, this year's WWDC is primed to introduce iOS 18 for iPhones alongside updates to various other operating systems. Central to these advancements is the integration of AI, signalling a pivotal moment for Apple's technological trajectory.


'Apple Intelligence'


Referred to internally as Apple Intelligence, the forthcoming AI system is slated to permeate new iterations of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems. In a strategic move, Apple is forging a partnership with OpenAI, a collaboration anticipated to birth a ChatGPT-inspired chatbot, augmenting user experience across platforms.


Powerful Siri


While speculations abound regarding the incorporation of AI into Apple's operating systems, insiders hint at a spotlight on enhancing Siri's functionality. Rumours suggest utilisation of expansive language models to bolster Siri's comprehension of user queries and facilitate seamless interactions within Apple's suite of applications.


A significant portion of the WWDC keynote, scheduled to kick off at 10:30 pm IST tonight and extend over approximately two hours, is poised to showcase these groundbreaking AI features, as reported by Bloomberg. However, amidst the buzz surrounding AI, Apple remains tight-lipped regarding specific details.


ALSO READ: WWDC 2024: Apple May Skip All Hardware Announcements This Year


AI May Come As Beta At First


With an ethos centred on user-centric innovation, Apple's approach to AI endeavours to integrate the technology seamlessly into its apps, prioritising features with widespread appeal. Notably, these advancements will be opt-in, affording users the autonomy to embrace them at their discretion. Moreover, AI-driven functionalities are positioned as beta versions, requiring hardware compatibility such as the forthcoming iPhone 15 Pro or models equipped with the M1 chip.


Powered by a fusion of proprietary technology and OpenAI's tools, Apple's AI services will leverage a blend of on-device processing and cloud-based computing, tailored to the complexity of tasks at hand. Notwithstanding, Apple's venture into cloud-based AI processing is not devoid of scrutiny, reported Bloomberg, prompting the company to underscore stringent security measures and data privacy safeguards.


ALSO READ: Apple Tipped To Partner With Sam Altman's OpenAI Ahead Of iOS 18 Launch


New Features Inbound For iPhone, Apple Watch


Beyond the realm of AI, WWDC promises an array of enhancements spanning customisation features for iPhones and improvements to the Apple Watch. Moreover, anticipated unveilings encompass an AI-infused Mail app reminiscent of Gmail's automatic message categorisation, and an innovative emoji creation tool driven by AI algorithms.


As Apple ventures into the AI arena, it is poised to compete with industry counterparts such as Google and Microsoft, setting the stage for a paradigm shift in user experience with the impending release of iOS 18.