Apple is taking the iPhone into the AI ​​era with a free software update

Apple is releasing a free software update that gives its iPhone 16 range the first dose of artificial intelligence as the forward-thinking company tries to keep up with the latest technology trend.

The upgrade to the iOS 18 operating system comes Monday, more than a month after four iPhone 16 models equipped with the special computer chip required for the AI ​​features went on sale, priced between $800 and $1,200 trade came. Last year's premium models – the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max – also have a processor that activates AI technology after installing the software update.

Current versions of Apple's iPad and Mac computers can also be updated with the software.

Countries outside the US will not receive the AI ​​software for their iPhones until next year, at a date to be determined. Apple has spent the last five weeks testing the AI ​​software to an audience of iPhone owners who signed up to help the company fine-tune the technology.

The AI ​​infusion aims to transform Apple's often bumbling virtual assistant Siri into a chattier, more versatile and colorful companion, whose presence is indicated by a glowing light that circles the iPhone's screen as requests are processed.

While Apple promises that Siri will be able to perform more tasks and be less prone to confusion, it will not be able to interact with other apps installed on the iPhone until another software update is released at an as-yet-unspecified date.

Additional AI features included in this software update handle a variety of writing and proofreading tasks and summarize the content of emails and other documents. The AI ​​also provides a variety of editing tools to change the appearance of photos and make finding old images easier.

Other AI tricks to come in future software updates include the ability to quickly create custom emojis or conjure up other imaginative images on demand. Apple also plans to eventually give its AI suite the ability to be powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT if users want it.

Most of the AI ​​features Apple introduced Monday are already available on Android smartphones that Samsung and Google released earlier this year.

To differentiate its approach from early leaders in AI, the iPhone's new technology suite is being marketed as “Apple Intelligence.” Apple also promises that its AI capabilities will far better protect the privacy of iPhone owners, either by running the technology on the device or by housing it in a fortress-like data center when some requests need to be handled remotely.

Since most iPhones currently in use around the world do not have the computer chip required for Apple's AI, the technology is expected to drive huge demand for the new models during the holiday season and into next year. That's the main reason Apple's stock price has risen 18% since Cupertino, Calif., previewed its AI strategy at a conference in early June. The ramp-up has added about $500 billion to Apple's market value and brought the company closer to becoming the first U.S. company to be valued at $4 trillion.

Apple will give investors a first look at the development of the iPhone 16 on Thursday when the company releases quarterly financial information for the July-September quarter – a period that includes the first few days the new models went on sale.

Demand for the higher-end iPhone 15 models rose as prices for them fell and excitement grew over Apple's entry into the AI ​​market, according to an assessment of the smartphone market last quarter by market research firm International Data Corp.

According to IDC, Apple's iPhone shipments worldwide rose 3.5 percent to 56 million in the July-September period compared to the same period last year, surpassing only Samsung. The question now is whether Apple's gradual release of more AI will cause owners of older iPhones to invest in the new models during the holidays and “future-proof their purchases in the long term,” said IDC analyst Nabila Popal.