Apple activates AI feature by default in latest update

On January 27, 2025, Apple rolled out significant software updates across multiple platforms, including iPhones, iPads, and Macs in the United States. The updates, which include iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3, mark a major change in how users will interact with the company's artificial intelligence suite, known as Apple Intelligence. This milestone means that Apple Intelligence will now be enabled by default for users with devices supported by the latest update, significantly increasing exposure and engagement with the AI features. Previously, users had to actively enable Apple Intelligence during the initial setup of their devices, which involved downloading AI models from the internet. This process applied to iPhones that rolled out in 2024 and Pro models from 2023. The decision to switch to an automatic activation reflects Apple's response to growing consumer interest in integrated AI features. The company aims to enhance user experience and differentiate its products from those of competitors like Google and Microsoft, which have also released AI enhancements. The update also temporarily disables AI-powered notification summaries specifically for news and entertainment apps. This change was initiated after criticism arose regarding the accuracy of information generated by these summaries, which had, on occasion, misrepresented facts. For example, there was an instance where the Apple system incorrectly reported Rafael Nadal as a Brazilian tennis player. With notification summaries being seen as hit-or-miss and criticized for generating harmful content, Apple chose to pause this feature for news apps. Acknowledging the issues raised, Apple aims to revisit and refine the summarization capabilities before reintroducing them. In addition to appealing to user preferences, the updates introduce new visual intelligence capabilities and improved management of notification summaries. For instance, summarized notifications will now be presented in italics to clearly differentiate them from app-generated notifications. Apple also fixed various bugs affecting user experience and introduced Genmoji, which allows users to create emoji based on Apple Intelligence. Overall, the updates serve to refine existing features rather than introduce new ones significantly.