“Artificial Intelligence” (AI) is the flavour of the day in the contemporary technology sector, as multinational corporations seek to maintain pace with a rapidly evolving industry.
Artificial intelligence today is capable of creating not only fake information but also realistic images that are difficult to distinguish from the real ones. But there is another side: AI is also actively used to help those who want to learn how to spot a deepfake photo or any other data – it analyses details, looks for inconsistencies and helps determine that the product was created artificially.
Apple, on the other hand, has remained coy throughout its development process. Despite revealing that the group had initiated AI investment and research in 2016, the Cupertino-based firm neglected to join Google and Microsoft in 2023, as both competitors announced crucial AI products in the wake of 2022’s ChatGPT release. It has been two years since Apple took its initial position against a swift manoeuvre in the direction of AI, and Apple Intelligence—Apple’s in-house AI product—is a hot topic. Here, industry experts evaluate whether Tim Cook and co. can catch up to their scene counterparts—or have they left it too late?
What Is Apple’s Artificial Intelligence?
Before assessing whether Apple can keep up with the likes of Google and Microsoft, among others, it is important to analyse its major focus in this sector: Apple Intelligence.
Announced off the back of significant shareholder pressure in summer 2024, Apple Intelligence endeavours to supply writing assistance, advanced camera functionality and photo editing, summarise notifications, and deliver a revised Siri.
It is widely accepted that Apple Intelligence hit the market before being adequately prepared, culminating in an awkward AI model. Siri did not improve significantly, notification summaries worked improperly, and the photo editing tool remains a mess.
This is in contrast to AI deliverables made available by Google and Microsoft, as Apple’s fierce rivals have unveiled and successfully launched multiple AI-led services.
How Apple Intelligence Fell Behind
Hindsight is 20/20, but even at the time of Apple’s AI announcement in 2024, things felt off. Prior to WWDC that year, virtually nobody at Apple had mentioned AI. One could argue that this is due to the organisation remaining tight-lipped on potential products, but that did not stop higher-ups from discussing AI without saying AI.
Yet, by the time WWDC 2024 had come and gone, Apple had gone AI-crazy. Everyone at the company had now begun talking about Artificial Intelligence. Less than a quarter of a year later, Apple Intelligence hit the mainstream market.
However, Apple would not appropriately design an AI software product of the same quality as ChatGPT, Google, or Microsoft. This is in spite of the fact that most AI services popularised at that time could do little more than vague ‘paintings’ of celebrities and keywords.
While the rollout of Apple Intelligence gave the technology a bad reputation from the start, its debut performance actually slammed the hammer down.
Apple Intelligence – A Dysfunctional Release
Renowned for patience and not releasing products until they are prepared, Apple held off on releasing an AI-focused commodity for multiple years.
This ‘get it right’ policy has served the entity well across most verticals, but Apple Intelligence proved a different beast. Advertised for iPhone 16, the AI-centric model promised to reshape and reinvigorate the Apple ecosystem by quickening certain facilities and functions.
Yet, from release day, it became abundantly clear that something was amiss. Apple had not only overpromised and under-delivered, but deep refinement of Apple Intelligence would be necessary to attain even a fraction of the proposed features.
These AI failures bled through to Siri, notifications, camera adaptability, and more. Apple’s initial AI model did not meet the industry’s latest technological expectations.
In short, Apple Intelligence debuted as one of the most disappointing technological releases in recent times.
Apple Intelligence Competitors
Global behemoths compete with Apple across a variety of sectors, not least the revolutionary landscape of AI. As outlined below, a slew of reputable corporations have developed and published Artificial Intelligence products.
- Google DeepMind: Operated by Alphabet Inc., Google DeepMind hosts the ‘Gemini’ AI brand name. It is best suited to auditory, visual, and text-based content, as well as short overviews of specific queries processed via Google’s search engine.
- OpenAI: Founded by Sam Altman, OpenAI made headlines upon the release of ChatGPT in 2022. This product delivers near-true-to-life dialogue with users and is capable of catering content to a wealth of end-users.
- Microsoft Copilot: Serving as a helpful tool integrated throughout Microsoft’s extensive range of services, including Teams, Azure, Office, and more. Although predominantly business-focused, there remains ample room for Copilot to leverage its benefits in a commercial capacity.
Apple Intelligence strives to compete with all three of the aforementioned industry titans. The next section covers areas in which the US technology platform must succeed if those competitive plans are to be realised.
How Apple Intelligence Can Improve in 2025
First and foremost, Apple must revise the capabilities of its AI facility before pushing ahead with more grandiose schematics. The latest mobile device, iPhone 16, is barely compatible with the vast majority of features intrinsic to Apple Intelligence.
It has recently been revealed that Apple’s developers are open to collaboration with third-party firms as part of a scheme to improve Apple Intelligence. This open-ended data sharing and consultative process should allow for greater cooperation across the board and could result in a deeper understanding of where Apple Intelligence may be best utilised.
More pertinent to commercial audiences is Apple Intelligence’s currently available, yet lacking, feature set. Where Google Gemini conveys information spanning a wide spectrum of worldwide and multi-industry topics, Apple Intelligence is scarcely capable of accurately representing local notifications.
What to Expect from Apple Intelligence This Year
As a fresh slate of iOS, WatchOS, visionOS, and acOS updates hits the market, many expect Apple Intelligence to progress far beyond its current status quo. Unremarkable AI functionality has left the smartphone leader on the back foot, but a platter of refreshed features sits on the horizon.
Specifically, you should expect:
So, while Apple Intelligence faces an uphill task to catch up with competitors in most arenas, primarily due to the localised nature of its services in exchange for enhanced privacy, the next several months could herald a changing tide for the globe’s most illustrious technology company.
So, while Apple Intelligence faces an uphill task to catch up with competitors in most arenas, primarily due to the localised nature of its services in exchange for enhanced privacy, the next several months could herald a changing tide for the globe’s most illustrious technology company.
