iOS 18 AI features coming with ironclad privacy as Apple develops in-house Ajax LLM
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Apple will be entering the era of artificial intelligence with its typical strong emphasis on iPhone and iPad security, it seems. Its laser-sharp focus on user privacy is one of the reasons behind the iPhone’s unprecedented success story, as people love what iOS is selling in terms of security guarantees.
Apparently, iOS 18 will be no different, even though it will be Apple will be dabbling in overall AI-enhanced experience with it for the first time. First Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, and now Apple Insider sources have confirmed that Apple’s intentions for the AI feature calculations in iOS 18 are to be done entirely on the iPhone itself.
On-device processing of data is what raised Apple’s Touch ID and Face ID biometry profile with privacy-sensitive applications when they first launched, and Apple will continue the sandboxing trend with its AI features as well.
Tim Cook has always reminded Apple fans how safe and secure the iOS system is compared to the competitions, and it will need to keep this competitive advantage in the AI era as well.
Apple Ajax LLM to run on-device
Apparently, Apple will be launching a large language model of its own in time for iOS 18. Codenamed as Ajax, its aim will be to provide processing of data for the most popular and basic iOS 18 AI features on the iPhone itself, rather than send it to a server in the proverbial cloud, no matter how secure that transfer might be.
This could lead to Apple’s own chatbot service to enhance default apps like Messages, Siri, Spotlight Search, or even Safari, with the text-based back and forth generated entirely on the iPhone.
An on-device artificial intelligence processing would undoubtedly give Apple a competitive advantage, despite that it is also rumored to be in talks with Google, OpenAI, and even the Chinese Earnie Bot to integrate their creations into iOS 18.
While these would still be processed on the server side, Apple would give the utmost privacy and security guarantees to its own Ajax LLM powered by the iPhone’s renowned AI chipset prowess.
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he’s keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
