How far-reaching Apple's changes to its AI functions will be is the question on everyone's lips just days before Monday's keynote on June 8. The discovery of a new subdomain on the Apple website and reports of changes in image generation in Image Playground provide initial clues as to what can be expected at the WWDC developer conference.
At first glance, Apple setting up a new address for the browser might not seem that spectacular, were it not for an unusual designation. With genai.apple.com – discovered by bloggers from the news site MacRumors – Apple is using a designation for generative AI that it has so far left to competitors like Google and OpenAI. Assuming the discovered URL is not just a red herring, a possible departure or reorientation of marketing terms could be emerging.
New name on the horizon?
In 2024, Apple wanted to redefine the English abbreviation AI (artificial intelligence) with its term, Apple Intelligence. Given the long wait for features that can compete with those of its rivals and the newly formed cooperation with Google, whose AI models are to be used, Apple's marketing department might want to give the child a new name.
Fittingly, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman reports, citing unnamed sources at Apple, that the AI improvements are also expected to affect the image-generating app Image Playground and Genmojis. While the AI-generated mix of emojis and personal ideas and photos is resonating positively, especially with younger audiences, Image Playground was found to have significant design limitations in its initial rollout. To this day, Apple only offers a small selection of image styles, all of which have in common that no realistic images can be produced.
