The Apple Intelligence logo is being displayed on a smartphone (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto … [+]
With the arrival of Apple Intelligence for the iPhone and Mac platforms, Apple’s first steps with generative AI are now publicly available. Only a small subset of the proposed AI apps are currently available, with December pencilled in as the first big moment when ChatGPT will be integrated into iOS and macOS.
It’s an unusual moment for Apple, which has taken pride in building many systems within its walls to control the experience and the use of personal data. Bringing ChatGPT to its platform underscores Apple’s ambition to engage with the wider generative AI community. However, it portrays an Apple sitting behind the technological curve of AI compared to its rivals.
Yet the addition of ChatGPT to Apple Intelligence brings with it real costs that users will have to pay to gain the full benefits.
Adding ChatGPT To The iPhone And Siri
Reporting on the second beta version of iOS 18.2—which is scheduled for a December relase and features the second wave of Apple Intelligence apps—Juli Clover highlights an area in the system settings that displays a daily limit for ChatGPT usage and an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan or be moved to an older AI model.
Existing ChatGPT Plus users can sign in on their iPhone, while those new to the system have the option to Upgrade To ChatGPT Plus. I’d be interested to know if Apple will take its customary thirty percent rake on the monthly subscription fee of $19.99.
OpenAI has offered ChatGPT with a tiered offering for the cast majority of the product’s life, so Apple’s approach here is not without precedent. Yet, the choice by Tim Cook and his team stands in contrast to other smartphone AI platforms. Google and Samsung have provided free AI-powered tools to help establish the platforms usefulness with the respective user bases. Apple is heading straight to a freemium model, although it should be noted that in the small print for Goolge AI and Galaxy AI is a note that the AI services may become chargable in the future.
Balancing AI On The iPhone
Apple’s slow approach to introducing generative AI stands in contrast to the marketing behind Apple Intelligence. The iPhone 16 family launched a motnh before Apple Intelligence was available to the public, but you would have been hard pushed to see the delay reflected in the marketing materials. It is a prominent part of the message around the new iPhone—to the point that mobile networks here in the UK are having to caveat their own marketing with the delayed roll-out of the AI features.
Generative AI is transforming the consumer experience on every platform, including iOS and macOS. Yet Apple’s move into the space will be one of the first that comes with a transactional cost for consumers. How much this will impact the uptake of Apple Intelligence compared to the subsidised generative AI platforms on Android and Windows will be a key metric over the next few months.