Apple’s artificial intelligence took a backseat at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with the launch of their revamped software named Liquid Glass. The company also announced the launch of new camera and apps as well as features on the Apple Watch and Vision Pro. But in spite of pressure to compete with firms that have gone all-in on AI, Apple’s AI announcements were limited to incremental features and upgrades.
The users will have few new Apple Intelligence-powered features to look forward to, including live translation, a real-time language translation feature that will be integrated into messages, FaceTime and the Phone app. Similar features were featured in Android operating system for several years. Workout Buddy is a new fitness app from Apple which speaks to users during workouts using an AI-generated voice.
AI improvements will be coming to the non-Apple apps consumers use on their phone. According to the company, app developers were enabled to tap into Apple’s on-device large language model (LLM) in order to improve their experience with AI features within third-party apps. Consumers will have the option on whether they want their data or information to be shared with off-devices and with the developers or not.
Apple, in the WWDC last year, introduced a suite of AI upgrades to Siri intended to make the virtual assistant experience more personable and dynamic. In spite of specific commitments from Apple, many of those features have yet to be released.
Apple’s Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said, “This work needed more time to reach our high-quality bar.”
The silence on Siri was “deafening”, wrote Forrester’s VP principal analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee.
“The topic was swiftly brushed aside to some indeterminate time next year. Apple continues to tweak its intelligence features, but no amount of text corrections or cute emojis can fill the yawning void of an intuitive and interactive AI experience,” wrote Chatterjee. “The end of the Siri runway is coming up fast and Apple needs to lift off.”
A partnership with OpenAI’s ChatGPT was also announced by Apple. This initiative will hype the iPhone-maker with OpenAI, Microsoft and Google in the AI race. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said, “Overall, WWDC laid out the vision for developers but was void of any major Apple Intelligence progress as Cupertino is playing it safe and close to the vest after the missteps last year.”