Janice R. Andrews
It’s almost time, people. In just a few hours, Apple’s annual developer conference, WWDC 2024, will begin. Although Apple normally makes a huge deal out of the Worldwide Developers Conference, this year’s event is particularly significant.
Apple is anticipated to make its major AI announcement at WWDC 2024, in addition to the customary slew of software improvements. We’ll most likely see Apple’s vision for AI at WWDC 2024, following a year in which ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and Samsung Galaxy AI dominated headlines.
Apple is facing a great deal of pressure as a result. Being one of the few major tech companies that hasn’t yet made a major impact in the AI space, there is anticipation that it will accomplish something exceptional considering the company’s history.
There’s one thing that I really hope to see at the opening keynote of WWDC 2024, and it’s quickly approaching.
The Boring Current State of AI in Smartphones
In early June 2024, as I write this, artificial intelligence has already found its way into many cellphones. Consider the Google Pixel 8 line of devices. Google placed a lot of emphasis on the AI capabilities of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro when the phones were first launched in October of last year.
What type of features does AI have? There is the Magic Editor, which allows you to modify photos with far greater creativity and control. Although it’s a strong instrument, it can also be quite terrifying. Then there’s Best Take, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to replace faces in a group photo so that everyone seems happy and presentable. AI wallpapers may also be generated using a text prompt. All of them are excellent and do add to the Pixel 8’s toolbox. But are they the only benefits of purchasing a Pixel 8 over a rival smartphone? Not really.
What actions has Samsung taken? Similar circumstances apply to Galaxy AI, which debuted on the Galaxy S24 series and has subsequently spread to many more phones. Some of Samsung’s AI-assisted photo-editing features are superior than those offered by Google. It can offer real-time translations if you ever find yourself conversing over the phone with someone who speaks a foreign language. The tone of a text or email you’re composing may also be altered by Galaxy AI, albeit it’s rather poor at it.
These days, AI on phones is a little bit scattered. While some AI capabilities are truly amazing, others are passably good, and still others are laughably awful. All of them have one thing, though: none of them feel very unique, despite how amazing some of them are.
Is it amazing that I can alter a photo I shot to modify its sky? Yes. Is it technically remarkable that Samsung phones can translate languages in real time on the device without requiring an internet connection? Yes. However, even when well-functioning AI smartphone capabilities do, they never quite reach the point where they fundamentally alter how I use my device. My phone has several additional capabilities that I occasionally utilize, but that’s all.
Apple Could Take a Different Approach
We’ve heard a lot of reports regarding Apple’s AI features in iOS 18 in the run-up to WWDC 2024. They sound a lot like what we’ve already seen from Google, Samsung, and other companies, so far.
According to leaks, iOS 18 will have new photo-editing tools, AI-generated emojis, notification and message summaries, recommended answers, AI-assisted search capabilities through Spotlight Search and Safari, etc. Stated differently, a plethora of the same functionality seen on current Android phones.
All of these things are acceptable, and Apple ought to provide these functions. However, I’m actually hoping for something entirely different from Apple. I hope to see AI skills that are so novel and creative that no one else has yet to come up with them. While AI on phones these days might be helpful, I want something so amazing that if I don’t have an iPhone, I’ll feel like I’m missing out. I’m hoping Apple will be the first business to fix that as no other AI smartphone feature has been able to achieve it up to this point.
Leaks don’t always provide a clear picture, even though iOS 18 doesn’t appear to be nearly that revolutionary. The iPhone 14 Pro’s hole-punch cutouts at the top of the display were the subject of countless leaks in the run-up to its release. Nobody anticipated, though, that it would come with one of the most wackiest iPhone features in recent memory—the Dynamic Island. Though they are uncommon, surprises like that do occasionally occur.
And that’s exactly what I want to see at the 2024 WWDC. Provide me with the standard and uninteresting AI functions, but then do something really amazing for me. Apple is the company that will convince me to fully embrace AI smartphones. It’s also the perfect moment to do it.
