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apple on Wednesday released an update to its iPhone, iPad, and Mac software that includes the long-awaited ChatGPT and Siri integration.
ChatGPT integration is triggered when a user asks Siri a complex question. When Siri receives a question about whether Apple’s software is suitable for ChatGPT, it asks the user for permission to access the OpenAI service. Apple says the feature has built-in privacy protections and that OpenAI does not store your requests. The integration uses OpenAI’s GPT-4o model.
Apple users do not need an OpenAI account to take advantage of the ChatGPT integration, but users can pay for an upgraded version of ChatGPT through Apple. Users can also access ChatGPT through several text menus.
The release of iOS 18.2 is a significant milestone for Apple, which relies on Apple Intelligence to lead marketing campaigns for its iPhone 16 lineup. Apple Intelligence is the company’s suite of artificial intelligence capabilities. Apple first announced ChatGPT integration in June.
Apple released the first part of Apple Intelligence in October. These features include writing tools that let you proofread or rewrite text, a new design for Siri that lights up your entire phone screen, and notification summaries.
The company says it plans to release another update to Apple Intelligence next year that includes significant improvements to Siri, including the ability to take actions within apps.
Many investors believe that Apple Intelligence’s additional capabilities could boost iPhone sales, accelerate upgrade cycles, and solidify Apple as a leader in consumer AI.
This integration is also a big win for OpenAI because it puts our most important product in front of millions of iPhone users. Neither Apple nor OpenAI disclosed financial terms of the deal.
Although the ChatGPT integration primarily uses cloud servers, users must have an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, or any iPhone 16 model to install and use Apple Intelligence. iPhone owners can enable software updates in the General section of the Settings app.
Users who have updated to the latest Apple software and have not yet activated Apple Intelligence can sign up for the waitlist within the Settings app. Users typically have access to the software within the same day. Their phones require downloading large files, such as Apple’s AI models, that the service requires to work.
Wednesday’s update also includes Apple’s image generation app called Playground, which can create images based on people or prompts, and Image Wand, a feature that lets users remove objects and imperfections from photos.
