It wasn’t that long ago that I wrote about how Apple’s reserved AI strategy is probably its best yet. By not hemorrhaging money on AI features and tools and by focusing on hardware rather than going all-in on AI, Apple positioned itself to come out ahead while its competitors beat and batter themselves to out-innovate each other in AI.
Yeah, that’s out the window now.
During its September “Surprise and shine” event on Wednesday at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, the company opened with a discussion of AI. Not merely “intelligence” or even “Apple Intelligence,” but artificial intelligence specifically. Clearly, Apple is not timid about tying AI use to its hardware improvements. Here are the AI and Siri AI features Apple went all-in on during the event.
Welcome to the vanguard of consumer AI, Apple.
AI as core architecture #
New Apple CEO John Ternus doubled down on the company’s seemingly new AI strategy. “As we look ahead, we see a future filled with enormous discovery and transformation,” he said. “AI makes entirely new kinds of experiences possible. And AI can become even more useful when it brings together your life with the apps, services and products you use every day. And this means the product at the center of your experiences becomes even more essential.” That product at the center of your AI universe? Well, it’s an iPhone.
He called the iPhone an “intelligent personal hub,” framing it as an intersection of advanced AI capabilities and an understanding of your personal context. The system will use that context, including your calendars, contacts, routines, messages and app activity, to provide more relevant assistance to you as you go through your day.
Apple acknowledged that personalization and customization come with data privacy concerns.
During the event, Ternus emphasized that Apple Intelligence defaults to on-device processing, so your data stays with you rather than some far-off server. When extra power and capability are required, your requests extend to Private Cloud Compute, with privacy protections that ensure no one (including Apple) can access your personal data.
AI on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max #
According to Lilian Rincon, Apple VP of AI product marketing, the new iPhone 18 Pro “is built to take full advantage of all the capabilities of Apple Intelligence.” With it, you’ll get access to the latest Apple Foundation Models and, perhaps most notably, the most advanced Siri AI capabilities to date.
The new version of Siri “goes further than ever before” by combining personal context awareness, on-screen and in-app action, and a dedicated Siri app that you can customize. On your device, Siri can cross-reference, take action and synthesize your information across 300,000 native and third-party apps, like Mail, Messages, WhatsApp, Outlook and beyond. For instance, Siri can combine details from your emails and texts to create a summary of what you need to do to prepare for an upcoming family visit.
Visual intelligence is also expanding, as Siri can “see what you see.”
Using the camera or display, you can have Siri see what’s in front of you to ask questions or execute actions. With this feature, you could upload a photo and ask Siri which produce is best for a recipe your mom sent you via email. Siri can reference the email, your photo and its real-world knowledge to give you an answer and then add the ingredients to your grocery list in a separate app. (I wouldn’t be surprised if this feature eventually comes to AirPods or smart glasses.) The iPhone 18 Pro line also comes with a new dedicated Siri app right on the home screen, featuring customization options such as Expressive Voices. Powered by a new on-device model, you can customize Siri’s voice pacing and expressivity across the Siri app, Safari and Maps. Want more inflection in Siri’s audio? You can simply adjust it on a sliding scale.
Apple appears to be all-in on integrating Apple Intelligence into every part of the iPhone, from writing and notifications to surfacing important information from phone calls and taking or editing photos.
Beyond the iPhone #
Apple Intelligence is also coming baked into other hardware beyond the iPhone.
The new AirPods 5 let you access Siri hands-free, giving you access to all of Siri’s knowledge and capabilities without touching the device. AirPods 5 also come with built-in active noise cancellation and Live Translation to translate between different languages in real-time conversations.
The latest Apple Watch (Series 12 and Ultra 4) is rolling out with an Audio Intelligence feature that recaps conversations for you, along with a slew of AI health features to deliver a deeper understanding of your health metrics. Apple Intelligence brings summaries of your health trends, recommendations for recovery and a revamped health app – all of which you can read about in depth here.
Expanded language support #
Apple Intelligence comes out in 16 supported languages with OS releases coming this month, including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Chinese (though Apple Intelligence will not be available in China).
Siri AI beta launches in English, with French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish coming in October.