Latest in AI - Discover What’s New from Apple, Google and Microsoft

Have you ever paused and wondered how AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) have seamlessly woven themselves into the fabric of our everyday lives?

From the friendly voice of Siri guiding us through mundane tasks to language models creating human-like content and predictive algorithms shaping our digital experiences, AI has become our silent partner, providing instant solutions at every turn. It is more or less like the unsung hero making our lives more convenient and smoother.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into the latest AI developments: Apple’s AI, Microsoft Copilot+ PCs, and Android AI – that have been creating quite a buzz in the tech world lately. The potential of these AIs in enhancing app development and experiences is vast, and understanding its features, common pitfalls, and creative applications can open up a world of possibilities.

Understanding Apple Intelligence

After much speculation, Apple has finally unveiled its integration of AI into its product line at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC24). With this move, it’s certain that Apple is ready to dive into the AI fray and will transform our lives in ways we’ve only imagined.

Meet Apple Intelligence, the newest AI (think of it as Siri’s cooler cousin) for iPhones, iPads, and Macs. This AI is more than just a smart assistant; it’s a personal intelligence system designed to outperform existing AIs by incorporating powerful generative models at its core. Whether it’s creating images, translating languages, sending personalized messages, or taking context-based actions, Apple Intelligence seamlessly understands your personal context to deliver an unparalleled experience.

Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the innovative features Apple Intelligence has in store for us:

• Natural language Understanding  

First up, let’s talk about how Apple Intelligence revolutionizes communication. Built with advanced language models, it can process your inputs effortlessly, whether you type them out or use voice commands. Imagine getting tasks done with just a few words – it’s that easy.

• Writing Tool: Your Personal Writing Assistant 

Whether you’re drafting an email, crafting a blog post, or rewriting a caption, Apple Intelligence has your back. It offers a suite of writing tools to help you draft, edit, and polish your content effortlessly. For instance, if you want to sound more formal in an email? Type your message, and Apple Intelligence will suggest tone adjustments, grammar fixes, and even alternative phrasings to help you nail that professional vibe.

• Priority Notifications 

Imagine having an assistant that knows exactly what matters most to you. With a deep understanding of your personal context, Apple Intelligence can organize your life seamlessly. It schedules meetings, reminds you of time-sensitive events, and prioritizes notifications, ensuring you never miss a beat.

• Visually Appealing Images 

With creative toolkits like Genmoji, Image Wand, Image Playground, and Clean-Up, you’re the artist, and your creativity knows no bounds. Turn a simple gallery photo or a rough sketch into a personalized masterpiece. Chat with flair, create memory movies, or bring your home’s interior vision to life—all with these enchanting tools!

• Privacy Matters

Concerned about privacy while using Apple Intelligence? Fear not! Contrary to what you might think, Apple Intelligence is designed with your privacy in mind. Thanks to on-device processing powered by advanced Apple silicon, like the A17 Pro and M-family chips, your data remains secure and local. No data is collected or stored externally—everything happens right on your device. Plus, Apple has taken privacy up a notch with its Private Cloud Compute (PCC). Now, all those advanced features you crave from cloud intelligence systems come with an extra layer of security. And get this: not even Apple can peek into your privacy.

• Smarter Siri

Gone are the days when Siri would get tripped up by incomplete commands. Thanks to Apple Intelligence, Siri has leveled up, becoming more powerful and intuitive than ever. Interacting with Siri is now super simple. Just double-tap at the bottom of your device, speak or type your command, and watch as Siri seamlessly understands the context and completes tasks with pinpoint accuracy.

• ChatGPT

Apple Intelligence takes your experience to the next level by seamlessly integrating Siri and Writing Tools with ChatGPT. When Siri encounters a tricky question or you need to polish your content while using an app, it smartly asks if it can tap into ChatGPT for you.

Yeah! We get it. It’s like a rollercoaster for your imagination. Click here to dig deeper into the incredible capabilities of Apple Intelligence.

Now, let’s explore another AI with another tech giant, Microsoft.

Inside Microsoft Copilot + PCs

Microsoft has always been at the forefront of introducing generative AI into its products, and with the launch of Copilot+ PCs, they’ve once again wowed us, setting the bar high for the AI era.

Copilot+ PCs are the newest category of intelligent Windows PCs designed to surpass traditional cloud capabilities by bringing together the collective power of distributed AI right on the device. Despite all the advanced AI capabilities, these PCs are incredibly thin, lightweight, and more powerful than any laptop ever built. They can handle 40+ TOPS (Trillion operations per sec) with high storage and all-day battery life, including up to 22 hours of local video playback. Interesting! But, are they worth the hype? Only time will tell.

Now, let’s see the unique features of Copilot+ PCs:

• Revamped Microsoft Copilot: With a dedicated Copilot button on the keyboard, access Copilot with just a tap or directly from the Windows taskbar.
• Seamless Integration: Copilot is embedded across Windows PCs, offering seamless accessibility to unique features without opening an app.
• Real-Time Screen Sharing: Copilot can view your screen and provide real-time suggestions to enhance your Windows experience.
• Recall Feature: Like a digital assistant, Recall can help you find anything you’ve misplaced—like an important presentation or vacation photos—with just a prompt.
• Cocreator AI: Perfect for both novice and experienced designers, Cocreator can bring creative illustrations to life and adjust the creativity slider to match your desired expressiveness.
• Live Captions: Equipped with real-time translation capabilities, translating audio into 40+ languages, making communication easier than ever.
• Advanced System Architecture: Featuring CPU, GPU, and NPU integrations, these PCs deliver 100% more efficiency to handle large data amounts and multiple AI workloads with ease.

For an in-depth look into the features of Copilot+ PC, click here.

Microsoft has also announced the integration of its Surface Copilot PCs with the latest OpenAI technology, GPT-4, to enhance the entire Windows experience even further. This integration can tailor interactions based on the on-screen context.

What truly sets Microsoft Copilot+ PCs apart is its Copilot’s ability to learn and adapt to your preferences over time. It’s not a static tool; it’s a dynamic assistant that grows with you. As you use Copilot, it acts like an adaptive intelligence becoming more attuned to your working style and preferences, providing increasingly personalized and relevant assistance.

To get a complete walkthrough of this major announcement, click here.

Updates in Android AI

Contrary to the expectations of many tech enthusiasts, Google I/O 2024 didn’t bring any hardware updates. Instead, Google rolled out some incredible AI advancements, promising to make interactions with Android devices even more interesting and intuitive.

Let’s dive into the highlights:

• Project Astra: Imagine pointing your phone’s camera at something and instantly getting answers. That’s Project Astra for you. This smart AI assistant can answer context-based queries using your photos and videos. Snap a pic, ask a question, and get instant answers.

• Gemini Nano Gets a Boost: Forget the cloud – Gemini Nano now processes everything right on your device and this feature will be available later this year. This AI assistant understands multiple languages, text, voice input, and even the context on your screen. It’s starting with Pixel phones and will soon power all Android devices, making your apps smarter and faster.
• Circle to Search: For students, this feature is a game-changer. Available on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Pixel 8, it can decode complex formulas, math problems, and physics questions. No more late-night struggles with homework – just circle the problem and get the solution.
• TalkBack: This amazing AI feature is a lifesaver for people with visual impairment. Imagine an AI explaining to you the colors and distinct features of a product when shopping online. Yes, now you have a personal shopper handy who can see for you.
• Scam Alerts: With spam calls on the rise, Gemini Nano comes to your rescue by recognizing suspicious conversation patterns to alert you in real time.

Check out Google’s 2024 keynote here.

Pushing Boundaries: AI’s Role in Creative App Development

Apple Intelligence

Apple has built a complete suite of highly capable small and medium generative language, diffusion models, and server-based models to efficiently roll out the features it claims to offer.

Here’s how developers can benefit from Apple Intelligence

• On-Device Processing: With semantic indexing and improved processing speed directly on the device, developers can create more intuitive and responsive apps, eliminating the need for cloud AI integration.
• Richer Language Understanding: Apple Intelligence allows for the integration of advanced natural language processing, voice recognition, and predictive analytics. This enables the development of innovative apps that can more accurately and effectively understand and respond to users.
• In-App Actions: Advanced writing tools and an upgraded Siri empower developers to streamline workflows, build innovative features, and enhance app functionality.
• App Intent Framework: This framework provides predefined and adaptable structures to seamlessly connect apps with other applications and system services. It enables the automation of actions within apps, creating a cohesive and integrated user experience.
• Sirikit: By integrating Sirikit, developers can enhance Siri’s existing capabilities within their apps, allowing for more sophisticated voice interactions and the automation of actions.

Copilot+ PCs

Microsoft Copilot+ PCs provide powerful capabilities, empowering app developers with an open platform and sophisticated tools driven by an innovative NPU. This not only enables the creation of differentiated AI experiences but also revolutionizes how developers enhance their productivity in app development cost-effectively.

Here’s how Copilot+ PCs simplify app development

• Windows Copilot Runtime: This enables easy integration of innovative AI features into your apps directly by accessing the Windows Copilot library.
• Unique APIs:  Access a diverse array of APIs, including Phi Silica with OCR, Recall User Activity, Studio Effects, and Live Captions. Microsoft promises even more APIs on the horizon to streamline app development further.
• Extensive AI framework Support: Benefit from native support for powerful AI frameworks like PyTorch, WebNN, ONNX Runtime, and many others, ensuring robust and flexible AI integration.

Click to learn more.

Android AI

This year, Google’s update is all about an Android overhaul with AI at its core. Here’s why you should be excited:

• Google AI Studio: Leveraging Gemini APIs, developers can now design prompts and build apps incorporating the latest Gemini models. Additionally, various SDKs, such as those for experimentation and Vertex AI, can be integrated with the Gemini API to add extra features and functionality.

• Gemini Nano Goes multimodal: This feature enables Android apps to process multiple types of inputs, including text, voice, spoken language, and visual data. The power of multimodality has already been successfully implemented in apps like Grammarly, Recorders, and Adobe, demonstrating its potential for enhancing app interactions.

• Gemini in Android Studio: Serving as an ultimate coding companion, Gemini in Android Studio helps streamline coding efforts with intelligent code suggestions and insights on app performance. This integration aims to boost developer productivity and improve the overall quality of Android apps.

Click to learn more about these generative AI solutions.

AI Reality Check: Peeking Beneath the Hype

Now that we’ve seen the amazing potential of the above-mentioned revolutionary AIs, it’s time to explore the potential pitfalls of each.

Apple Intelligence

This innovative newcomer has the potential to seamlessly integrate AI into our everyday Apple experience, making our devices smarter and more intuitive.

But let’s slow down for a moment.

Apple Intelligence promises a robust architecture that amps up security, yet the idea of it having access to every data interaction from our devices feels a bit invasive. Despite Apple’s assurances that they have no access to our data, the idea still feels a bit creepy.

Now, let’s talk about compatibility. Although Apple Intelligence is touted as one of Apple’s greatest inventions, it’s not compatible with the Apple Watch or any iPhone models 15 and earlier. This might be a bummer for those hoping to see this powerful AI on their favorite devices. However, who knows? Maybe in the future, Apple will develop an even more efficient AI that works seamlessly with the Apple Watch.

For now, it’s a no-go for certain devices, but the journey of Apple Intelligence is just beginning. Stay tuned and let’s see where this AI adventure takes us!

Microsoft Copilot+ PC

While Copilot+ PCs introduce some amazing features, they also come with potential pitfalls that deserve a closer look.

One standout capability is screen sharing, which lets the AI understand user activities to offer real-time assistance. It’s great for guiding new app users, filling out forms, or spotting code errors. But here’s the catch – this feature means AI has a 24/7 view of your activity. In a world plagued by hacking and cyber threats, that constant access could be more of a concern than a convenience. Who wants an AI always looking over their shoulder?

Similarly, Recall, another impressive feature, offers direct access to your local storage. It’s fantastic for finding forgotten files, but it also raises serious privacy concerns.  Many users store sensitive personal data on their devices, and the notion of an AI having unrestricted access to this information could be unsettling.

Adding to the mix is the rising concern of deepfake technology, which has seen a staggering 1530% increase in incidents in the Asia-Pacific region from 2022 to 2023. With Cocreater’s advanced capabilities, there’s potential for these deepfake issues to worsen, making it even harder to distinguish between real and AI-generated content.

That said, while we welcome these exciting features, it’s essential to balance their benefits with strong privacy and security measures. Hopefully, Microsoft will navigate these challenges to ensure users can enjoy their AI-powered devices with peace of mind.

Android AI Update

While the advancements in Android AI are super exciting, there are some potential downsides that might make you think twice.

First, let’s take the Circle to Search tool, for example. While it’s designed to simplify learning for students, there’s a flip side. Over-reliance on this AI could dampen students’ ability to develop essential critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

TalkBack’s enhanced capabilities for visually describing products for those with sight loss is another breakthrough. However, this feature relies heavily on the accuracy of its data. Incorrect or misleading descriptions could lead to frustration or even harm, highlighting the need for precise and reliable information.

Lastly, Gemini Nano’s scam alert feature is a major plus, especially given the rise in such threats. But if Gemini Nano can analyze conversations to detect scams, what else could it be listening to? The potential for privacy invasion is significant, and strict safeguards are necessary.

To Wrap Up

Right now, with all these AI innovations, it’s clear that everyone’s racing to get ahead in AI. These innovations have the potential to really shake things up for developers, startups, and enterprises alike. As more people start using these AIs, we’ll see just how differently they can make an impact. It’s an exciting time, and we’re just beginning to scratch the surface of what’s possible!