It’s not an operating system or an AI model, so what is it? Apple banks on customer loyalty to keep sales afloat as it teases out a vague future.
Apple is building its future on a suite of tools that are ill-defined at best. Apple Intelligence is not a new operating system or an AI model like GPT-4o. Best I can tell, it’s a curated collection of generative AI features grouped under the Apple Intelligence branding umbrella.
When Apple Intelligence was unveiled in June, the company defined it as a «personal intelligence system that puts powerful generative models at the core of iPhone, iPad, and Mac.» Essentially, it’s an AI that can do things for you.
During this week’s iPhone 16 launch event, Apple expanded that definition to call it a «personal intelligence system that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that is incredibly useful and relevant.»
Did your eyes glaze over when reading that? Mine did. Perhaps Apple Intelligence is so far-reaching and revolutionary that there is no simple elevator pitch for it.
