Apple Intelligence is here, but it still has a lot to learn

Apple Intelligence debuts with underwhelming AI features.

: Apple's new AI features, dubbed Apple Intelligence, offer familiar tools like writing enhancements and photo editing, but lack groundbreaking advances. Notable features include notification summaries, email summaries, and a Clean Up tool in Photos, which provide some use but don't significantly enhance productivity. Siri receives a minor upgrade with better language processing and product knowledge. Future updates could bring exciting changes, but current AI capabilities remain basic and unimpressive.

Apple Intelligence has made its debut on smartphones; however, the features it presents are largely underwhelming and familiar, such as writing tools for emails and an AI-powered eraser in Photos. The tools aim to help users eliminate distractions rather than revolutionize productivity, and while they function adequately, they do not achieve the transformative potential they were anticipated to have.

Notification summaries and email overviews display mixed usefulness for quickly catching up on information, but often echo the effectiveness of subject lines in emails. The Mail app's AI summaries and notification insights make a modest impact, occasionally surfacing helpful details in chat overviews, though they deliver less time-saving advantages than hoped.

The Photos app introduces a Clean Up tool for object removal, which works similarly to the older Magic Eraser in Google Photos. Siri has also been upgraded slightly, with improvements in natural language handling and product knowledge; however, further updates promising more substantial changes like app actions and context awareness are expected in 2025. Despite efforts, Apple's current AI lacks the needed innovation to lead in smartphone AI advancements.

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