Apple Says Its AI Sets a ‘New Standard’ for Privacy and Invites Security Experts to Test It

When it comes to using generative AI, can you trust Apple? 

That was a question the company went to great lengths to answer with its rollout of “Apple Intelligence,” the catchphrase for all of the gen AI functionality it’s promised to bring to iPhone, iPad and Mac users in the next versions of its operating system software this fall.  

Apple CEO Tim Cook and his team, speaking during the keynote address at the company’s annual developer conference on Monday, described Apple Intelligence as a “personal intelligence system” that understands the context of all your personal data so that it can deliver “intelligence that’s incredibly useful and relevant” and thus make your “devices even more useful and delightful.”

In order to make the meaningful connections required “to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks,” Apple needs you to let it mine and process all the data stored in the software and services you use across its devices. That includes texts, messages, documents, emails, photos, audio files, videos, images, contacts, calendars, search history and Siri conversations.   

Then using its gen AI large language models and its custom computer chips to crunch that information, Apple says it will be able to help you write emails and text; transcribe and summarize messages; edit your grammar; easily check messages, emails and calendars for upcoming events; clean up photos; create a memory movie; and get better search results using Siri and the Safari browser. 

You’ll also be able to create and share original Genmojis, gen AI-enabled emojis generated from a natural language description you provide (example: smiley face relaxing, wearing cucumbers) or based on photos of your friends and family.

All that…