In a departure from other companies’ approaches to artificial intelligence, Apple leverages this emerging technology to enhance basic functionalities within its latest gadgets.
While refraining from explicitly using the term “artificial intelligence” to describe their advancements, Apple showcases a new range of iPhones and a revamped Apple Watch, fueled by a superior semiconductor design that powers their cutting-edge AI features. These features significantly elevate fundamental tasks like answering calls and capturing superior images.
Even though artificial intelligence wasn’t explicitly mentioned during the June developer conference, it has been silently reshaping Apple’s core software products for months.
In contrast, tech giants Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google set audacious goals for AI transformative potential. Industry leaders have voiced concerns about the unbridled development of tools such as generative AI and its potential consequences.
Apple has engineered the Series 9 Watch with an innovative chip, boasting enhanced data processing capabilities and introducing a four-core “Neural Engine” that accelerates machine learning tasks by up to twice the speed. This Neural Engine serves as the foundation for Apple’s chips, empowering advanced AI functionalities.
The inclusion of AI components in the watch chip leads to Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, becoming 25 percent more accurate.
However, the incorporation of machine learning chip components also provides Apple with the opportunity to introduce a novel method of interacting with the device. Users can now perform a “double tap” by pinching their watch hand’s fingers together to execute actions like answering or ending calls, pausing music, or accessing supplementary information such as weather updates.
This feature proves incredibly useful when users’ non-watch hand is occupied holding a cup of coffee or walking a dog. Leveraging the new chip and machine learning algorithms, Apple successfully detects subtle movements and fluctuations in blood flow triggered by users tapping their fingers together.
The iPhone manufacturer also proudly presents its enhanced image capturing capabilities across its phone lineup. Previously, Apple offered a “portrait mode” that simulated a large camera lens’s blurring effect using significant computational power. However, users had to manually activate this feature. Now, the camera automatically detects the presence of individuals in the frame and gathers the necessary data to later apply a background blur effect.
By incorporating state-of-the-art AI advancements and enriching the user experience, Apple continues to solidify its position as an industry leader in innovative technology-driven solutions. With its new iPhone and Apple Watch models, Apple showcases the immense potential of artificial intelligence while surpassing the competition in delivering unparalleled advancements in user functionality, image capture, and overall device interaction.
