Apple Intelligence, the tech giant’s advanced AI suite, has officially launched in Australia and New Zealand – and it’s so confident with the product that it’s offering a $1.57 million bounty to anyone who can breach its privacy protections. From Writing Tools to Image Playground, we’ve broken down how Apple is reshaping AI on everything from your iPhone to your MacBook.
Key Takeaways
- Apple Intelligence debuts in Australia and New Zealand with iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 updates.
- Features include Writing Tools, Genmoji, and Camera Control, integrating AI into everyday user tasks.
- ChatGPT integration enables users to rewrite, summarise, and proofread text across apps like Mail and Notes.
- A $US1m ($1.57m) bounty for anyone who can identify vulnerabilities in its privacy protections.
Key Background
Apple has launched its long-awaited Apple Intelligence in Australia and New Zealand, bringing advanced AI tools to iPhones, iPads, and Macs in a big play to compete with its tech rivals who have been in the space longer.
While critics have suggested the $3.75 trillion tech behemoth may be playing catchup, Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of worldwide product marketing, suggested Apple had already been an active player in the AI space for some time.
“If you go back and look at it, we’ve had AI on devices for many, many years. We’ve invested in and had Apple Silicon and the Apple neural engine for over 10 years, driving experiences such as health features, camera features, and many other things,” Borchers said during the announcement.
Key features include Writing Tools for refining text, Genmoji for creating custom emojis, and Image Playground for generating creative visuals. Apple also integrated ChatGPT functionality into Siri and Writing Tools, expanding its AI capabilities without compromising privacy—a cornerstone of Apple’s strategy. Borchers emphasised, “What we wanted to do was to make sure that we were delivering it in a way that our customers would expect—something that’s easy to use, intuitive, personal, and private.”
What does Apple Intelligence bring to the table?
The new features offer a variety of tools designed to simplify daily tasks and inspire creativity:
- Writing Tools: Enhanced by ChatGPT integration, these allow users to edit, summarise, or rewrite text.
- Image Playground: A creative app for generating visuals using user prompts, it offers two distinct styles and integrates into apps like Messages and Keynote.
- Genmoji: Custom emoji creation adds a fun, personal touch to digital conversations but feels like a minor innovation compared to the broader AI landscape.
- Camera Control: Exclusive to iPhone 16 models, this tool lets users extract information from real-world objects, such as translating text or identifying products.
- Priority Messages: A smarter Mail app highlights urgent emails. Underrated feature.
Writing Tools
Among the most notable features is the enhanced Writing Tools suite, designed to refine how users create and manage text. Integrated across apps like Mail and Notes, these tools allow users to rewrite, proofread, and summarise content.
Options like tone adjustment ensure messages can shift between professional, concise, or friendly styles, catering to different audiences. Meanwhile, ChatGPT integration adds depth to this functionality, enabling users to craft or edit text more efficiently. This integration simplifies tasks such as generating meeting summaries or rephrasing complex emails.
Smarter Email and Notifications
Apple’s Mail app introduces Priority Messages, which highlights urgent emails at the top of the inbox. Alongside this, notification summaries group updates into digestible overviews, helping users decide what needs immediate attention. Whether it’s scanning a long thread or summarising a dense document, these tools save time and reduce distractions.
ChatGPT Integration
For users seeking advanced AI capabilities, Apple Intelligence now integrates ChatGPT directly into Siri and Writing Tools. This means users can generate content, from formal emails to creative prose, without switching apps. Siri’s conversational fluency has also improved, maintaining context across multiple queries and delivering more intuitive interactions.
Big Number
$1.57 million: The bounty offered to anyone who can identify security flaws in Apple Intelligence.
Crucial Quote
“We have been investing for many, many years in the capabilities and the power of Apple silicon, which is focused on low power, high performance compute that can handle more and more complex capabilities,” Apple vice-president of worldwide product marketing Bob Borchers said. “We innovated even with the neural engine many years ago, and continue to build on that, and that has been the powerhouse behind the machine learning and AI features that we’ve had to date.
