Apple just released iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, bringing the next wave of Apple Intelligence. Users can now create Genmoji, generate artwork in Image Playground, and tap into ChatGPT directly through Siri and Writing Tools. It is live now for localized English, with other languages rolling out starting this April.
Yelp just rolled out its end-of-year product release packed with over 20 updates, headlined by AI-powered Review Insights. The feature uses LLMs to score topics like food quality, wait times, and ambiance from 1 to 100 directly above reviews. It gives users a quick snapshot of what people actually think, currently live on iOS for dining and nightlife.
Researchers just introduced TARFlow, a scalable architecture that pairs autoregressive Transformers with exact-likelihood normalizing flows. By revamping traditional coupling layers and borrowing guidance techniques, it achieves diffusion-level quality across images and video while remaining fully invertible.
Apple just confirmed it uses Amazon's Inferentia and Graviton chips for services like search, delivering a 40% efficiency boost. The company is now evaluating AWS's new Trainium2 chips to pretrain models like Apple Intelligence, eyeing up to a 50% efficiency gain and signaling alternatives to Nvidia's pricey dominance.
Apple just placed orders with TSMC for its upcoming M5 chip, targeting production development ahead of late 2025. Apple is skipping the pricier 2nm node in favor of advanced 3nm tech with 3D chip stacking. Crucially, Apple plans to deploy M5 across future hardware and its own cloud AI servers.
OpenAI just added an 'Open SearchGPT' action to Apple's Shortcuts app for iPhone and iPad. Tapping the shortcut immediately launches ChatGPT right into its web search feature without extra clicks. The capability is currently live for Plus and Team subscribers, with rollout to free users planned in the coming months.
Luma AI just expanded its video generator Dream Machine into a full creative platform, introducing a new foundation image model called Photon. The model is reportedly up to 800% faster than comparable tools, arriving alongside a refreshed interface, an iOS mobile app, and a dedicated image API for developers.
Google's first Android 16 developer preview reveals a new "app functions" API designed to let Gemini perform tasks directly inside apps. Instead of just searching your inbox, the assistant could soon order food without you opening a delivery app, mirroring Apple's App Intents roadmap. Why it matters: Mobile AI assistants are finally evolving from conversational chatbots into actionable agents.
Apple is reportedly developing a revamp of Siri, dubbed "LLM Siri," designed to hold conversational interactions like ChatGPT. Internally tested as a standalone app, it will tap Apple AI models and App Intents to handle complex tasks across apps. Apple could preview it in 2025, but a rollout isn't expected until spring 2026.
OpenAI just updated the ChatGPT desktop app for macOS with a new "Work with Apps" feature that automatically reads code from tools like VS Code, Xcode, and Terminal. Developers no longer need to copy and paste code back and forth to give the chatbot context. You will still have to paste its answers back into your editor yourself, though.
Apple just released Final Cut Pro 11, introducing AI-powered Magnetic Mask to isolate subjects without green screens alongside automatic closed captions. It also adds native spatial video editing for Apple Vision Pro, eliminating tedious manual rotoscoping workflows for Mac editors.
Apple rolled out notification summaries in iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1, but the on-device LLM is already producing unhinged results. While it handles basic smart-home updates fine, it turns sensitive texts, breakup messages, and chaotic group chats into unintentionally hilarious, deadpan bullet points. It might not actually save you time, but at least your notification shade is now deeply entertaining.
Apple is developing a six-inch wall-mounted smart display powered by Siri and Apple Intelligence, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The iPad-like hub acts as a command center for HomeKit devices and video calls, with sensors that adapt UI based on your distance, and could launch as early as March 2025.
Google just started testing a dedicated Gemini app for iOS, bringing its conversational Gemini Live voice assistant to the iPhone for the first time. Previously, iOS users were stuck accessing a limited version hidden inside the main Google app. The new standalone app even works from the lock screen, though it is currently limited to select regions like the Philippines.
Apple just made its Image Playground app available in the iOS 18.2 developer beta, bringing built-in generative art to iPhone 16 and Pro users. The tool turns simple text prompts into stylized animations or illustrations, with recent updates speeding up rendering and prompt accuracy. It is Apple's latest push to make everyday generative AI feel native on mobile.
Apple just released the iOS 18.2 public beta, opening up the second wave of Apple Intelligence features to public testers. Users can now query ChatGPT directly through Siri without needing an account, and iPhone 16 owners get Visual Intelligence camera search. Image Playground and custom Genmoji are also included, though creative tools still sit behind a secondary waitlist.
Meta's former augmented reality hardware lead Caitlin Kalinowski just joined OpenAI to oversee its robotics and consumer hardware teams. Kalinowski previously led the development of Meta's Orion glasses prototype and designed MacBooks at Apple. Why it matters: OpenAI is officially reviving its robotics ambitions to bridge multimodal models into physical devices.
Apple just introduced ChatGPT usage tracking and Plus upgrade shortcuts in iOS 18.2 Beta 2. Free users get a small daily allowance of GPT-4o requests and two DALL-E 3 images before Siri downgrades to a basic model. If you need more headroom, the Settings app now lets you sign in or subscribe directly to OpenAI's $19.99 monthly Plus tier.
Apple just unveiled its new MacBook Pro lineup powered by M4 chips, making 16GB memory standard for $1,599. The flagship M4 Max supports up to 128GB unified memory capable of running 200B-parameter LLMs directly on-device alongside Apple Intelligence. Why it matters: It gives developers a legit portable machine for heavy local AI workloads without cloud GPU bills.
Apple just unveiled its M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, packing a Neural Engine that runs up to twice as fast as the previous generation. With unified memory bandwidth reaching up to 546GB/s and memory capacity topping out at 128GB, these processors can easily chew through demanding on-device AI tasks and Apple Intelligence workloads. Why it matters: Local AI just got a serious desktop-class performance upgrade.
