iOS 18 to Unveil AI-Powered Safari Browser and Other Updates

Apple’s WWDC event is just a month away and speculations are more rampant than ever. There are constant new reports on what new features the iOS 18 will contain. A report by AppleInsider has surfaced, claiming that Safari, the Apple web browser, will be equipped with a couple of exciting new features.

The report also revealed the functionality of Apple’s Ajax large language model (LLM) and other features that the company is reportedly testing. The company could use AI on-device to protect user privacy, provide features such as text summarization, document and text analysis, and AI-powered search, and integrate AI into additional apps such as Messages and Mail.

The web browser may get an Intelligent Search feature that summarizes web pages in response to search queries. Another new feature called Web Eraser may allow users to completely remove text, images, and advertisements from web pages.

Apple has also been developing offline response generation software, which may be released at WWDC. This allows sentence generation without using cloud processing, resulting in faster output. For example, Ajax could use contacts and the Calendar app to generate responses.

For more advanced responses, the tech giant may turn to third-party providers such as Google and OpenAI. Ajax is speculated to be in charge of the summarization and text analysis for Safari and Messages. In addition to textual input, it may be capable of processing digital documents. However, Ajax may still include a privacy warning to make sure users are aware of AI-based processing.

There have also been reports claiming that Apple Music may soon include the ability to create playlists using artificial intelligence. During a recent earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed optimism regarding the company’s AI plans, claiming that Apple has “advantages” that will set it apart from competitors.

Cook cited Apple’s “unwavering focus on privacy” as one of the primary factors distinguishing the company in the AI space.

While details about the specific AI features in iOS 18 are scarce, we anticipate learning more about Apple’s plans at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 10.