Apple could use ChatGPT to power AI features in iOS 18

Siri must be worried

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WithAppleset to announceiOS 18(and a whole lot more) at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)on June 10, it’s rumored that the company is in talks with ChatGPT developer OpenAI to help with a major AI upgrade for the iPhone.

This comes from the usually reliable Mark Gurman atBloomberg, who says discussions between Apple andOpenAIhave been “renewed” and are now intensifying, according to unnamed people “familiar with the matter”.

Last month Bloomberg reported that Apple wasspeaking to Googleabout using the Geminichatbotinside iOS 18, so this hasn’t come completely out of the blue: Apple is clearly looking for a partnership with someone for its next big software upgrade.

What this latest report suggests is that OpenAI might have emerged as the frontrunner in the race, which means tools likeChatGPTand Dall-E (also developed by OpenAI) might find their way into the iOS 18 update, expected to be rolled out around September time.

To be confirmed

Gurman says that Apple hasn’t made a decision yet: it might decide to work withGoogle, or with OpenAI, or with both companies. What is certain is that iOS 18 is going to be focused very much on artificial intelligence – Applehas already confirmed it.

We can expect iOS 18 to come with some kind of local, device-based AI too. Apple has alreadybeen showing offsome new large language models (LLMs) that are small enough to be stored and run from a smartphone.

Exactly what we’ll get remains to be seen, but some kind of AI text and image generation seems likely, plusa substantial upgrade to Siri. There havealso been rumorsof features like AI-powered playlist generation in Apple Music.

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All eyes are now onWWDC 2024in June, when everything Apple has been working on should be revealed – for iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, and more. Public betas of these updates will then follow, before the final versions get pushed out.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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