Apple is gearing up to unveil its plans for artificial intelligence (AI) at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), commencing with the keynote on June 10th and continuing through June 14th. While the company traditionally focuses on forthcoming software updates and unveils new hardware, this year holds an air of anticipation regarding its AI strategy.
Reports suggest that Apple has been investing heavily in training its own AI models, and rumors hint at potential partnerships with entities like Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, or Baidu (in China) for cloud-based AI features. However, there's speculation that Apple may retain its generative AI features strictly on-device. Additionally, there are whispers of Apple opening its ecosystem to all AI developers for seamless integration into its devices.
While Apple has emphasized on-device machine learning in the past, it now seems poised to showcase its capabilities in generative AI. Alongside AI, the conference is expected to feature the customary array of announcements for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and other operating systems. Rumored updates include the ability to customize app icons on the iPhone, "scenes" in Freeform, and new accessibility shortcuts.
Moreover, there's speculation about the introduction of two new AirPods models—an entry-level successor to the second-gen AirPods and a noise-canceling replacement for the midtier AirPods 3—as well as updated AirPods Max headphones with USB-C compatibility. Last year's WWDC unveiled the highly anticipated Vision Pro headset along with significant software updates and appeals to the gaming industry.
As anticipation builds for WWDC, all eyes are on Apple to see how it will shape the future of AI and unveil its latest innovations across its product lineup.