Apple continues its AI journey with the release of developer beta features, expanding its much-anticipated Apple Intelligence features. The update, rolled out on Wednesday, brings new tools and improvements to iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2.
New Image Generation Tools Launched
In this beta release, Apple introduces its three distinct image generation tools: Image Playground, Genmoji, and Image Wand. These features were first announced at WWDC, and they are now accessible to developers for testing. Image Playground allows users to create playful, non-photorealistic images with Pixar-style animation and hand-drawn illustrations. Genmoji offers a more personalized experience, generating emojis based on user prompts or even using faces from the Photos library to create custom emojis. However, Genmoji is not yet available on Mac devices. Image Wand adds another layer of creativity by transforming rough sketches into more detailed images, using AI to enhance and create visual content based on text inputs.
To ensure the responsible use of these AI tools, Apple has placed several guardrails, including filters that prevent the generation of inappropriate or copyrighted content. Third-party developers also gain access to APIs for Genmoji and Image Playground, allowing integration of these creative tools into their own apps. This step is particularly significant for messaging apps, which can now support custom emojis generated through Genmoji.
Enhanced Writing Tools and ChatGPT Integration
Apple is also enhancing its Writing Tools feature. Originally limited to modifying text through preset commands, the update now allows users to input custom instructions to generate unique text edits. For example, users can instruct Apple Intelligence to make a specific paragraph more humorous or concise. The release of a Writing Tools API further expands these capabilities, enabling app developers to adopt the feature in custom text-editing environments.
Additionally, Apple has integrated ChatGPT into its AI ecosystem for the first time. Siri can now dynamically pass queries to ChatGPT, such as planning activities or providing detailed information. Users will be prompted to enable this feature during setup and can later manage permissions in settings. Apple emphasizes that user data shared with ChatGPT remains private, with no storage or IP address tracking. However, the use of ChatGPT within Apple Intelligence comes with limitations, as heavy users may encounter restrictions similar to the free version of ChatGPT.
Visual Intelligence and Expanded Language Support
For iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro users, the developer beta features introduce the Visual Intelligence feature. By activating this tool, users can gather real-time information from their surroundings, such as restaurant hours or event details from a poster. Visual Intelligence can also translate text, scan QR codes, and even read text aloud, offering a seamless way to interact with physical spaces through the camera.
Apple Intelligence’s language support has also expanded slightly, now including regional English variations for Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Apple promises to add support for more languages, including Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish, in the coming year.
Looking Ahead
As Apple continues to refine its AI-driven tools, the company is actively seeking feedback from developers to enhance the performance of its features. While these developer beta features mark another milestone in Apple’s AI journey, the company still has many more updates in store, including new Siri features and the eventual public release of these tools.
