More details have emerged about Apple's planned artificial intelligence features in iOS 18, and according to a new report from AppleInsider, the update will allow iPhone and iPad users to use AI to summarize long text messages and generate simple text responses, similar to the "catch me up" command in the Humane AI Pin as well as the Humane AI Pin's "Catch me up" command.

This is one of a swath of improvements and upgrades suggested for iOS 18, ranging from generative AI, super-powered Siri, better accessibility, and more. Citing sources familiar with Apple's upcoming software update, AppleInsider reports that Apple's generative AI could give TLDR versions of longer text messages. To do so, Apple's on-device AI (more on that later) scans the text and selects certain keywords and phrases to designate as text topics. The outlet explains, "For example, if a name appears at the top of a text, the software is likely to recognize that name as belonging to the author of the text."

The software then detects "all available relevant information," such as companies, people, and places, and creates a rudimentary text summary. This feature can apparently summarize information from both Safari and messages, but could also work with any text field or digital document. with the release of Safari 18's new intelligent search feature, users will also have the option to generate a brief summary of the web page they are viewing of the web page they are viewing.

Another peek at Apple's AI plans came in January with the iOS 17.4 beta, which included a reference to a private framework called "SiriSummarization" that calls on the ChatGPT API. Last summer, Bloomberg revealed that Apple had begun testing its own AI chatbot. The company also began building its own framework, called "Ajax," for creating large-scale language models (LLMs).

These AI capabilities, including a summary tool, reportedly use large language models that are processed on the device and run locally, rather than in the cloud like competitors. Since no data is sent to third-party servers, not only is response time faster and privacy is protected, but the company also has the advantage of being able to work completely offline.

"Because the company's text analysis software can work entirely on the device, Apple could gain an edge over the competition in the area of privacy protection," AppleInsider reported.

Apple is also exploring the use of Ajax to generate one-sentence responses to text input within milliseconds. This would allow it to communicate with calendar applications and take events into account when drafting responses. However, according to AppleInsider, while Ajax can generate simple text-based responses on the device, more advanced replies and summaries will still require server-side processing.

Assuming Apple previews this year's iPhone software update at WWDC 2024 on June 10, there are still a few weeks before we can get iOS 18 and try out Apple's AI features in person. But if the rumors are true, it's going to be one of the most important iPhone updates in a long time.