Apple Throws Punches at AI Industry While Quietly Borrowing ChatGPT

WWDC 2025 reveals a company talking tough without the tech to back it up

Hey Adopter,

Apple spent the beginning of June taking subtle shots at the AI industry while simultaneously re-stating today that they're integrating ChatGPT into half of their products. The irony wasn't lost on anyone paying attention.

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The Privacy Play Gets Aggressive

Tim Cook and crew positioned "Apple Intelligence" as the antidote to reckless AI development. They hammered privacy repeatedly, calling their Private Cloud Compute an "extraordinary step forward for privacy in AI." Translation: everyone else is doing it wrong.

The messaging was clear. While others rush AI features to market, Apple builds responsibly. While competitors harvest your data, Apple protects it. Classic Apple positioning, except this time they're critiquing an industry they're barely participating in.

Where do you see Apple in the AI race?

What Apple Intelligence Actually Does

Strip away the marketing and you get a collection of decent features. Writing tools that work across apps. Visual search that can identify objects through your camera. Live translation built into calls and messages. A fitness coach on Apple Watch that analyzes your workout history.

The standout feature? Visual Intelligence extending to your iPhone screen. Point at anything displayed in any app and search for it across other services. It's genuinely useful, assuming it works as demonstrated.

The Developer Gambit

Apple's opening their on-device language models to developers through a new Foundation Models framework. Apps can now tap into the same AI that powers system features without sending data to cloud servers. No API costs, works offline, respects privacy.

This could be significant. Developers get access to capable models without the usual trade-offs. Apps like Kahoot can generate quizzes from your notes without external servers. AllTrails can suggest hikes while you're camping off-grid.

The ChatGPT Contradiction

Here's where things get interesting. Apple spent the keynote positioning themselves as the responsible AI company, then announced ChatGPT integration throughout their ecosystem. Image Playground can generate pictures using ChatGPT. Xcode gets ChatGPT-powered coding assistance. Visual Intelligence lets you ask ChatGPT about screen content.

They're careful to say users control when data gets shared with ChatGPT. But the contradiction remains obvious. Apple doesn't trust AI companies with your data, except when they do.

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Missing: The Model

Apple talks about their "generative models" and "Apple-built models" for translation. They mention on-device processing and efficient architectures. What they don't mention is having anything that competes with GPT-4, Claude, or Gemini.

This matters because Apple's critiquing an industry they're not really competing in. They're building features on top of existing AI capabilities while positioning themselves as the thoughtful alternative. It's smart positioning until someone asks what Apple's foundational AI breakthrough actually is.

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The Reasoning Study Context

Apple's timing is notable given their recent research suggesting large language models can't actually reason. The study found that models perform worse when problems include irrelevant information, indicating they rely on pattern matching rather than logical reasoning.

Now they're building features around these same limitations while critiquing the industry for moving too fast. It's either principled restraint or elaborate justification for being behind.

What Actually Matters

The developer access could change things. If Apple's on-device models prove capable enough for real applications, they've created a compelling alternative to cloud-based AI. Privacy-preserving, cost-effective, and always available.

The integration across devices is also meaningful. Live translation that works in calls, messages, and FaceTime. Visual search that extends to any app. Writing tools available everywhere. When it works, the experience feels seamless.

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The Real Test

Apple's betting that thoughtful integration beats raw capability. That privacy matters more than having the most powerful models. That developers will choose their framework over alternatives.

They might be right. But it's easier to take the high road when you're not competing directly. Apple's playing a different game, which is smart until that game becomes the only one that matters.

For now, they've positioned themselves as the grown-up in a room full of reckless kids. Whether they can deliver on that promise without relying on those same kids remains to be seen.

Adapt & Create,
Kamil

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P.S. Here’s a list of all Apple AI and Apple Intelligence Features touched upon at WWDC 2025

Core Apple Intelligence Foundation

• Private Cloud Compute - Extends iPhone privacy to cloud processing

• Foundation Models Framework - On-device language models accessible to developers

• App Intents - Connect app capabilities to system AI features

• On-device processing - AI models that work offline

• Multi-language expansion - Apple Intelligence supporting more languages

iOS 26 Apple Intelligence Features

Communication & Translation

• Live Translation - Real-time translation in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone calls

• Voicemail summaries - AI-generated summaries of voicemails in Phone app

• Messages poll suggestions - AI detects when polls might be useful in group chats

• Smart Reply - One-tap response generation

• Call Screening - AI answers unknown calls and provides caller information

• Spam detection - On-device spam filtering for messages

Visual & Creative

• Visual Intelligence - Camera-based object and location recognition

• Screen Visual Intelligence - Search and take action on any app content

• Genmoji - Generate custom emojis from text descriptions or emoji combinations

• Image Playground - Create images with Apple Intelligence

• ChatGPT integration in Image Playground - Generate images using ChatGPT models

• Expression and hairstyle editing - Modify generated images of people

• Clean Up - Remove distractions from photos

• Spatial scenes - Convert 2D photos to 3D effects using computer vision

Productivity

• Writing Tools - Available across all text input areas

• Email/notification/note summarization - Quick content digests

• Memory movie creation - Generate photo/video compilations from descriptions

• Natural language photo/video search - Find media by describing it

• Calendar event extraction - AI pulls dates/times/locations from screen content

Wallet & Commerce

• Order tracking intelligence - AI identifies and summarizes shipping details from emails

• Apple Pay order summaries - Intelligent order tracking beyond Apple Pay purchases

watchOS 26 Apple Intelligence Features

• Workout Buddy - AI fitness coach analyzing workout history and real-time data

• Live Translation - Available in Messages app on Apple Watch

• Context-aware Messages actions - Machine learning suggests relevant actions

• Smart Stack improvements - AI predicts useful widgets based on location and routine

macOS Tahoe Apple Intelligence Features

• Shortcuts with Apple Intelligence - Intelligent actions for automation

• Direct model access in Shortcuts - Tap into AI models for custom workflows

• Live Translation - Cross-platform translation capabilities

• Image Playground and Genmoji - Creative AI tools on Mac

• Neural Engine optimization - Enhanced performance for AI models

iPadOS 26 Apple Intelligence Features

• Live Translation - Communication across language barriers

• Shortcut supercharging - AI-enhanced automation workflows

• All iOS AI features - Full Apple Intelligence suite on iPad

tvOS 26 Apple Intelligence Features

• Apple Intelligence integration - Core features adapted for TV interface

• New supported languages - Expanded language support

visionOS 26 Apple Intelligence Features

• Image Playground updates - Enhanced creative AI tools

• New supported languages - Expanded AI language support

• Spatial scenes AI algorithm - New AI for creating lifelike 3D from 2D photos

• Computational depth processing - AI-enhanced spatial photo conversion

Developer Tools & Frameworks

Xcode AI Enhancements

• Generative intelligence integration - AI assistance in code development

• Predictive code completion - More accurate AI-powered suggestions

• Swift Assist - Natural language interaction with code

• ChatGPT integration - Advanced coding model support

• Larger context analysis - AI uses more code context for better suggestions

APIs and Frameworks

• Foundation Models Framework - Direct access to on-device language models

• Image Playground API - Integrate AI image generation into apps

• Live Translation API - Add translation to communication apps

• App Intents for Visual Intelligence - Connect app search to Visual Intelligence

• Background Tasks API - AI processing can continue in background

External AI Integration

• ChatGPT in Image Playground - Generate images with OpenAI models

• ChatGPT in Visual Intelligence - Ask questions about screen content

• ChatGPT in Xcode - Coding assistance and documentation

• User-controlled data sharing - Explicit permission required for ChatGPT features

Technical AI Infrastructure

• On-device language models - Core processing without cloud dependency

• Private Cloud Compute - Secure cloud processing when needed

• Neural Engine optimization - Hardware acceleration for AI tasks

• Computational depth algorithms - AI for spatial photo processing

• Machine learning context analysis - Smart suggestions based on usage patterns

• Generative models - Underlying AI technology powering Apple Intelligence

• Text-to-speech AI models - Dynamic voice generation for Workout Buddy

Cross-Platform AI Features

• Consistent design with Liquid Glass - AI-informed interface design

• Universal device intelligence - AI features work across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Vision Pro

• Seamless data sync - AI insights and preferences sync across devices

• Contextual awareness - AI understands usage patterns across device ecosystem