At Apple’s upcoming Glowtime event on Monday, September 9, Tim Cook and his team are set to unveil the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. During this launch, they will also present their vision for generative artificial intelligence. However, imagine if Apple chose to take a different path, one that sidesteps the AI-driven trends dominating the tech world today.
In October 2023, Google launched the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, branding them as the “first AI smartphones.” Since then, the smartphone industry has increasingly embraced generative AI, with new devices boasting features that create content from scratch—summarizing articles, generating images, and more.
Apple is no stranger to adopting trends later than others. Their delayed entry into Augmented Reality is a recent example, along with past instances like wireless charging, third-party app installations, and even basic text functions like cut and paste. These late arrivals are often framed as being executed in a uniquely Apple way, typically accompanied by magical-sounding branding like AirPower or Spatial Video. Generative AI now seems poised to join this list, with Apple potentially branding it as "Apple Intelligence"—another cleverly coined term.
Apple's take on artificial intelligence, despite the branding, appears quite similar to what Android and Google have already introduced. Features such as text rephrasing, content summarization, and image or video generation will likely be included, with the main differences being in the user interface and presentation. Essentially, Apple is treading a path well-worn by its competitors.
However, as generative AI becomes more prevalent, its risks are also coming to light. The potential dangers are increasingly visible as these AI tools become accessible to a broader audience through smartphones. Researchers are actively exploring these issues, as highlighted in the paper "Generative AI Misuse: A Taxonomy of Tactics and Insights from Real-World Data," which includes contributions from Google DeepMind, Google.org, and Jigsaw. The paper points out emerging patterns of misuse, including how bad actors exploit AI's capabilities across various media, such as images, text, audio, and video.
With the upcoming Pixel 9 devices and their generative AI tools, which will soon be widespread on Android, there is a growing concern about the potential for misuse. For instance, a report by The Verge discusses how Google's AI 'Reimagine' tool could be used to alter photos in disturbing ways. This raises the question: Is this the direction Apple wants to take?
It's important to differentiate between generative AI and other AI applications. Machine learning, a subset of AI, plays a significant role in iOS, powering features like FaceID, camera enhancements, smart calendar suggestions, and predictive text. Crucially, these applications typically process data on the device, offering clear benefits with well-defined boundaries. However, the leap from using AI to recognize faces in photos to creating entirely new faces in a crowd scene is significant.
This divergence highlights the potential risks associated with generative AI, which Apple must carefully consider as it navigates this evolving landscape.