Apple is unveiling iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 on June 8 at its Worldwide Developers Conference. A new report from Bloomberg today claims these versions of the company’s operating systems will all support AI extensions.
These extensions “allow you to access generative AI capabilities from installed apps on demand, through Apple Intelligence features such as Siri, Writing Tools, Image Playground and more”, the report claims.
So basically, you will be able to use the built-in Apple-made tools or have third-party alternatives tap in. The extensions will work for generating and editing text and images, as well as conversations.
Speaking of which, each AI model you use could have a different voice, so you know exactly “who” is talking to you at all times. The built-in Siri model would use one voice, and third-party models would use another (or each their own, it’s unclear how far the customization actually goes).
We assume that third-party AI services will need to update their apps to support this extension system but we have no doubt that they will jump at the opportunity. Once the support is baked in, you will be able to select, say, Claude for help with writing, Gemini for creating images, and ChatGPT for chats with Siri.
It’s an interesting approach and one that shows that Apple has pretty much entirely given up on creating its own AI platform that competes with ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. Instead, it’s embracing the competition with moves like this.