Q: What exactly is Apple Intelligence and what will it do for me?
A: AI (Artificial Intelligence) is all the rage in the tech world and Apple Intelligence is Apple’s integration of new smart AI features that are being rolled out in the latest operating systems for smartphones, tablets and computers.
It’s being rolled out slowly, so you’ll have to let Apple know through a waiting list for the moment.
Much like Google Assistant for Android devices, Apple Intelligence is designed to anticipate what you might need, help to organize your digital life and simplify how you interact with your devices.
Instead of a stand-alone AI tool, Apple is integrating AI throughout their operating systems that can be more contextual based on what’s on your screen or what you routinely do with your devices.
Writing tools
One of the most useful tools in the suite will be the writing tools for proofreading, summarizing text or rewriting your text messages, emails or notes.
It will rewrite text based on a tone that you choose: professional, concise or friendly.
Proofreading will help you improve your grammar, word choices and sentence structure with explanations of why suggestions are being made.
This could be significant for those who routinely use voice dictation for text and email messages.
Apple Intelligence in Siri
Digital assistants have been the focus of all of the major tech companies, and AI allows your devices to better anticipate your needs. Apple Intelligence will be deeply integrated with Siri, making it more intuitive and conversational than it is now.
Photos and memories
The Photos app is another place where Apple Intelligence will provide vast improvements. Much like Google Photos’ powerful image recognition, it can identify not just faces but locations, objects and even themes within your photos. That means you can search for specific things, such as “beach” or “birthday,” and Apple will pull up all related images from the thousands of images in your photo library.
Spotlight Search and proactive suggestions
Apple Intelligence integrates everywhere so Spotlight Search will become a much more powerful feature that acts like your digital assistant. Need to find a recent email, app or even a restaurant near you? Spotlight can pull up relevant results from across all your apps, contacts and web searches.
It will also proactively offer helpful info based on your usage patterns. If you have an upcoming calendar event, for example, it may suggest you leave early if traffic is heavy or remind you to call someone back after you missed their call.
Enhanced privacy
What’s most notable and likely why it took so long is that Apple’s intelligence is built with privacy in mind. Unlike other platforms that might rely primarily on cloud-based data processing, Apple does much of this work directly on your device so your data stays more secure.
How to get it
At the moment, it’s only available on iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max; any iPad with A17 Pro or M1 and later; and Mac with M1 or later.
The processing requirements by the device seem to be why older devices aren’t compatible.
You’ll also need the latest OS for your device: iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1. For the moment, you can request to join the waitlist.
Ken Colburn is founder and CEO of Data Doctors Computer Services. Ask any tech question on Facebook or Twitter.
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