At WWDC 2024, Apple finally explained how generative AI will show up in its products. And it's a departure from Samsung's approach so far.
If there's one thing Apple and Samsung can agree on, it's that generative AI will change the way we use our phones. But when it comes to how, that's where the two tech giants differ.
Apple on Monday announced Apple Intelligence, a collection of new AI-powered features that work across the iPhone, iPad and Mac to rewrite messages, generate images and ask Siri more complicated questions. On the surface, that may sound similar to Samsung's Galaxy AI, which was announced in January for the Galaxy S24 and has since expanded to other devices.
While there are a few ways in which Apple Intelligence and Galaxy AI overlap -- namely editing photos and summarizing, proofreading and rewriting texts and notes -- Apple and Samsung generally have different ideas for what AI can bring to the smartphone experience. Apple views AI as connecting the dots between your apps, while Samsung applies AI to specific individual tasks, like language translation.
Apple and Samsung are far from the only tech behemoths who have incorporated AI deeper into their products. However, as the world's two largest smartphone manufacturers, they have a lot of say over how the technology will appear in the mobile devices we use every day.
Apple and Samsung have made it obvious that there is much more to come with AI, so the versions of Apple Intelligence and Galaxy AI we know today are most likely only the beginning. It's impossible to know how effectively Apple Intelligence works and what it adds to the iOS experience until you try it.
Even at this early level, we can see how the software on our phones will evolve in the future years.
Apple puts a personal spin on generative AI
Apple may be late to the generative AI game when compared to Samsung and other competitors, but the company is attempting to compensate by stressing how Apple Intelligence can help you make sense of all the data, files, photographs, and messages on your phone.
"It needs to be integrated into the experience you're using all the time," Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, stated in reference to AI during a press conference following the WWDC keynote. "It needs to be intuitive, but it also needs to be informed by your personal context."
A lot of this functionality is connected to the new Siri, which will soon be better at finding things on your smartphone, like a recipe emailed to you by a friend. Even if you can't recall if the recipe was saved in a text message or a Notes file, Siri will be able to assist you find it, according to Apple.According to Apple, Siri can index photographs, calendar events, and files, as well as reference information from texts and emails. That implies it should be able to pull the necessary information from your phone as needed, regardless of where the data is kept. One example is filling out a form that demands your driver's license number. If you have a snapshot of your license.
There's a lot more to Apple AI, but these features are some of the most striking examples of how Apple's approach differs from Samsung. However, this is not a totally novel take on how AI can be applied to the devices we rely on every day.
Google also discussed its vision for futuristic AI agents that can even perform errands as complex as returning a pair of shoes for you by combing through your inbox for the right information. It's another sign that Apple isn't the only one who wants virtual assistants to handle tasks for us.
Samsung goes big communication and productivity
Samsung's approach to AI on smartphones focuses on communication and productivity. When Galaxy AI first launched, one of its most notable features was the ability to translate calls in real time directly from Samsung's native phone app.
In addition to rewriting and reviewing writings in a new tone, Galaxy AI can translate entire conversations into many languages. The emphasis on translation in particular demonstrates how Samsung and Apple's approaches vary, as Apple did not address language translation during its WWDC keynote.
Productivity and content production are also important aspects of Samsung's AI push thus far. Generative Edit, which allows you to eliminate undesired elements from photographs or resize and relocate them, was another standout feature when Galaxy AI debuted in January. (Apple Intelligence will include a similar capability on iPhones).
Other examples include slow-motion movie previews, note summaries and translations, and Circle to Search, which allows you to perform a Google search by circling anything on the screen.
What's interesting, however, is that Apple's Siri enhancements actually sound similar to Samsung's original vision for its own Bixby voice assistant. Back in 2017, Samsung positioned Bixby as a means to navigate your phone and apps more easily rather than an assistant for quickly answering questions or setting timers.
Over time, I imagine both Apple and Samsung's software features will continue to overlap. Samsung plans to give Bixby a generative AI upgrade, and Apple will surely expand Apple Intelligence to more apps and services. And while the execution may be different, both companies clearly see AI for being a useful tool that can help us get things done more quickly on our phones. The question is whether Apple Intelligence and Galaxy AI will live up to those promises.
We'll likely get our next peek at what Samsung and Apple have planned over the coming months, considering Samsung is expected to announce new foldable phones this summer and Apple typically releases new iPhones in September.