Apple's AI Evolution: Built-in AI, Supercharged Siri, and Ecosystem Lock-in

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Apple kicked off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) yesterday with three major evolutions in how artificial intelligence will improve its platform:

1. Supercharged Siri: The voice assistant Siri is becoming the meta-layer of software, coordinating workflows and reducing the time you spend in applications.
2. Ecosystem evolution: Each of Apple’s devices—iPhone, iPad, Mac—works in concert with the other, making the sum greater than the parts.
3. :Built-in AI: Apple will use a privacy-first, on-device approach to AI to inject magical new capabilities into its existing software.

Each of these elements is exciting on its own and, if the technology continues to deliver, will be a genuine improvement on how we work and live. For centuries, new technology has automated an increasing amount of the physical labor we previously did. It is time for it to do the same for mental labor, too. Soon, you won’t need to navigate to a website or app to experience generative AI—it’ll be built into everything you do on your smartphone and computer.

Mathematical magic (built-in AI)

The most impressive application of the day was the iPad calculator app. The company had previously promised not to make one for the iPad until it could “do something distinctly great.” It was a 14-year wait, but boy, did Apple deliver.