iOS 18 and its reliance on AI: what’s known thus far

Apple’s been in talks with OpenAI about using its LLM solutions in the upcoming iOS 18 since early 2024. Then, as we reported earlier, they started courting Google and Baidu with their Gemini and Ernie AIs, and talks with Sam Altman’s company came to a halt. Recently, however, Bloomberg’s published a piece stating those negotiations have resumed, and OpenAI is once again a candidate provider of artificial intelligence solutions for Apple’s upcoming iOS 18.

This iteration of the operating system is widely regarded as a major upgrade of everything, with reliance on AI underpinning many new features and improvements. So what does Apple want to put on the shoulders of large language models? We’ve scoured the web and scooped up what’s known about this matter so far.

AI-powered apps in the upcoming iOS 18

New Siri, deeply integrated with Messages (a better autocorrect? Yes, please!), plus improved personalization capabilities.
New Music, with AI suggesting playlists, shuffling music more intelligently, and making your experience more immersive throughout.
Pages and Keynote updated with AI integrations: bridges over writer’s block suggested by LLMs, plus generation of text and images in a single interface, no switching back and forth.
Safari enhanced with Browsing Assistant, which, as expected, will essentially be AI helping you formulate, find stuff online, and interact with services and resources in a more meaningful way.
Improved Accessibility Features that rely on AI to perform better: fewer “please repeat” queries, more quick responses to the point.

If/when we learn something new on the subject, this list will be updated. If you hear of an iOS app that’s getting AI under the hood in iOS 18, please let us know in the comments below.

What devices iOS 18 will run on?

The list below is based on all sorts of rumors and guesstimations, so take it with a grain of salt.

iPhone XS and XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max
iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max
iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max
iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max
iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max

Apple will likely give iOS 18 to the public at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2024, but the release won’t happen until September, so pretty much everything is subject to change. In the meantime, stay tuned!