"A big deal"

Apple with AI offensive against Google and Microsoft

Apple boss Tim Cook will present a range of new AI tools at the WWDC developer conference, insiders expect.(Bild: AFP/APA/Apple Inc./Handout)

Apple is expected to make an advance in artificial intelligence at the WWDC developer conference on Monday. According to media reports, technology from ChatGPT inventor OpenAI will be used alongside functions developed in-house. The innovations could include the ability to have AI create new emojis when typing a text, wrote the financial service Bloomberg.

"It's going to be a big deal," said CEO Tim Cook about the WWDC plans at a meeting with young programmers on Sunday. At the in-house WWDC conference at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, the US iPhone company traditionally gives a preview of software and functions that will be introduced with new generations of devices from the fall. This time, it is certain that artificial intelligence (AI) will play a central role.

Summarize emails, pre-formulate replies
According to Bloomberg, there will be an AI function that can summarize the content of missed messages or emails, among other things. This would be useful, for example, if you haven't looked at your smartphone for a while. The iPhone will also be able to pre-formulate answers for users, according to sources close to the matter.

Apple's voice assistant Siri, which now seems rather simple compared to chatbots such as ChatGPT, will also take on more tasks than before thanks to AI, Bloomberg wrote. For example, it will be possible to delete emails and edit photos using voice commands.

Google and Microsoft forge ahead
In recent weeks, Google and Microsoft have also placed particular emphasis on focusing on AI functions at their developer conferences. Microsoft has already secured extensive access to OpenAI technology through a multi-billion euro pact. Google is supplementing search results in the USA with AI summaries in some cases - however, the software initially produced a few glitches, such as the recommendation to eat one small stone a day. So far, Apple has largely limited the use of AI in its devices to individual functions such as improving photos and videos.

An important question will be from which iPhone generation onwards the individual AI functions will be usable. According to Bloomberg, many of them will require one of this year's models or at least an iPhone 15 Pro from 2023. If the AI innovations prove popular, this could trigger accelerated upgrades from customers to new devices. The iPhone is by far Apple's most important product. It generates more than half of the company's revenue - and also drives the apps and subscriptions business.