Skift Take
The new iPhone is built so that users can ask AI about visuals with the click of a button. It’s still early, but the ease of use means that the iPhone could win the race to become a future AI tour guide.
The newest iPhones will come with an easy way to ask generative AI about real-life visuals. For travelers, that means easier ways of navigating new cities.
Apple on Monday revealed more details about how it is integrating generative AI into the latest iPhones and their operating systems.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are the first Apple phones designed from the ground up with hardware to accommodate the computing power needed for advancing AI, the company said.
Visual Intelligence for iPhone 16 and 16 Pro
The next generation of the iPhone has been built with a dedicated camera button, located below the power button on the right side of the device. Among its uses, the button activates a tool to ask AI about visuals through the camera.
It works by pressing and holding the camera button, then pointing the camera at a subject.
When pointing at a restaurant, the iPhone pulls up a window with hours, ratings, and options to view the menu and make a reservation through OpenTable.
The user can also point the camera at a flier for an event, and the iPhone saves details about the time, date, and location to the calendar.
The same function can be used to answer questions about objects. The demo did not show whether the tool works for recognizing landmarks or translating text.
As Apple said previously, users can connect to ChatGPT for questions that Apple can’t answer.
The new generations of the iPhone are available for pre-order on Friday and in stores on September 20.
Other iPhone travel-related features:
- Better cameras
- The ability to take spatial videos and photos for the Apple Vision Pro
- Reduced wind noise when taking videos
Apple Intelligence
Apple said in June that the upcoming iOS 18 operating system would be integrated with generative AI from Apple and ChatGPT. That includes the ability for Siri to access details — like for an upcoming booked flight — across the device’s Apple-owned apps.
The announcement Monday said that a beta version of the first AI-powered upgrades are coming with iOS 18.1 next month, with additional features in the coming months. It’ll start with U.S. English, followed by localized English in December for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. Updates in Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish are coming next year.
Here are a few other AI features that were previously announced to expect in the coming months:
- When asking for details on an upcoming booked flight, Siri should cross-reference flight information from an email or text with real-time flight tracking info to provide the most updated arrival time.
- Siri should find plans for a lunch reservation made through text, and then tell the user how long it would take to drive from the airport to the restaurant.
- Siri should be able to show photos from a specific trip.
- Siri should handle questions even if a user stumbles over words, like if they can’t remember the exact name of a museum.
- AI should prioritize urgent emails and notifications, like a boarding pass or same-day dinner invitation.