Apple Mail: What Apple is planning in terms of AI
Apple's Mail program is set to become one of the first tools to contain generative AI. "Smart Replies" will be available in iOS 18, probably also on the Mac.
Icon from Apple Mail.
(Image: Apple)
Artificial intelligence in communication programs is actually nothing new. Google's Gmail and Microsoft's Outlook have included such features for some time now. Now Apple wants to get in on the act too: According to recent leaks shortly before today's WWDC keynote (live ticker from 7 p.m.), Apple Mail is getting generative AI for the first time. This is initially planned for iOS 18, but macOS 15 also seems to be receiving support.
Better search and "Smart Replies"
It has been reported that Apple wants to significantly improve the search function. In addition to simply finding emails, matching contacts (that appear in the email), possible locations and other documents that match the content will reportedly also be presented. Mail is not supposed to proceed stubbornly, but rather "fuzzy", i.e. thanks to the Large Language Model (LLM), it will be able to draw conclusions about what fits and what does not.
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Furthermore, as part of the so-called "Project BlackPearl", generative responses to emails are also possible for the first time - smart replies. The LLM uses the content to identify possible suitable content so that the user does not have to start from scratch when writing. Apple also wants to summarize emails - and not just individual emails, but also entire threads. "Project BlackPearl" is intended to be an overarching framework that may also enable Siri to edit texts.
Functions for iPhone, iPad and Mac
There are apparently also plans to equip Mail under iPadOS with the AI functions. Whether the Apple Watch will be covered has not yet been leaked. A customer service representative who is supposed to deal with the concerns of various users could reply to emails much faster with Apple's Smart Replies, writes AppleInsider, which has unearthed the details of Project BlackPearl. "Assistants could use the feature to schedule meetings or send business-related requests."
The AI features appear to be based on Apple's own LLM, although the company will apparently be partnering with OpenAI on chatbots. Apple has been working on its own AI systems for years, with several LLM variants recently leaked to the public in the form of research papers. Apple is apparently planning to run as much as possible locally on the device - which could mean that only a few iPhone models may be supported.
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