ANALYSIS: While tech giants like Google, Microsoft and OpenAI dominate headlines with AI chatbots and rapid-fire rollouts, Apple has taken a quieter, more measured path into artificial intelligence.
In an Australian exclusive, speaking to 9news.com.au at Apple’s developer conference, the company’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Greg “Joz” Joswiak said Apple is embracing generative AI—but doing so in a way that avoids hype and favours integration.
“Our approach is to take generative AI and use it to make the features across our apps, across our operating systems, across our products… better,” Joswiak said.
Unlike others, Apple isn’t building a chatbot.
In fact, it’s partnered with OpenAI to offer ChatGPT as an option for those who want it.
But at its core, Apple’s strategy is not to spotlight AI – it’s to make it quietly enhance the experience.
“Sometimes you don’t even know or care that you’re using generative AI,” he said.
Apple Intelligence: A different path
Announced at WWDC last year, Apple Intelligence is the company’s formal branding for its AI features, but it’s not a new app or assistant.
Instead, it’s a suite of tools and enhancements embedded directly into the operating systems used every day—like message summarisation, writing suggestions, Genmoji creation, live translation, and smarter call handling.
Joswiak described it as a long-term play, not a reaction to headlines.
“This isn’t a one-year thing, or a two-year thing. It’s something we’ll be working on for a decade—if not decades,” he said.
Global pressure and expectations
Apple’s AI announcements come after months of scrutiny from analysts and the tech press, many of whom suggested the company was lagging in the AI race.
Unlike its rivals, Apple had made few major AI announcements in recent years, fuelling speculation that it was behind the curve.
Joswiak didn’t dispute that others had been more vocal, but pointed out that Apple’s track record favours execution over noise.
“Often times you see our competitors will announce things, not ship them. And sometimes people don’t even notice,” he said.
“We welcome the higher expectations people have of us.”
Design consistency across devices
As part of its broader push, Apple is also rolling out a major user interface refresh – the first in more than a decade.
Inspired in part by the design language of Vision Pro, this new look – called “liquid glass” is being deployed across iOS, iPadOS, macOS and more, helping tie Apple’s product ecosystem closer together.
“You don’t refresh a UI every year… This allowed us to take another look at how to make it even fresher,” Joswiak said.
He explained that consistent design – and now, consistent intelligence – is key to helping users move seamlessly between Apple devices.
AI in the background, not the foreground
Rather than build a central AI assistant, Apple wants its intelligence to operate subtly, behind the scenes.
“The technology recedes, and what you’re doing becomes the important part,” Joswiak said.
In a world racing to showcase AI’s capabilities, Apple’s choice to keep things understated may seem like a gamble.
But for now, the company is sticking to its belief that AI should be useful, not just impressive.
“We’re not trying to impress people with AI,” Joswiak said.
“We’re trying to help them do more with the devices they already use.”
Apple Intelligence runs on the iPhone 15 Pro series, and all of the iPhone 16’s, as well as on Macs and iPads with Apple’s “M” series processors.
When I asked Joz which feature was the most popular, or that users should first check out, he admitted it was different for every user, but that Apple is more interested in everyday usefulness – especially in tools most people already rely on.
He gave the example: “I write all the time,” Joswiak said.
“Given my job… I often type faster than I think – or think faster than I type. I’m not sure which it is.”
That’s where Apple Intelligence steps in.
The built-in writing tools now help users rewrite, proofread, and summarise text – on everything from emails to notes.
For Joz, it’s already become second nature.
“Now I proofread everything just as a matter of course. I deliver nicely written messages to everybody else,” he said9News.
Other features like Genmoji creation, live translation, and even smart call management (like hold-music detection or spam flagging) are similarly powered by Apple’s on-device AI engine.
They may not look revolutionary on the surface, but they’re designed to quietly save time, reduce friction, and make everyday interactions smarter.
“There’s just so many,” Joswiak said.
“Some are obvious, others are subtle—but they all help.”
Trevor Long travelled to the US as a guest of Apple.
