Dear reader,
As an AI skeptic, Apple’s this year’s WWDC presentation was painful to watch. While the improvements to speed, responsiveness, and the Liquid Glass design were welcome, the biggest talking point was AI, which felt obnoxious even if Apple’s software chief Craig Federighi tried to make a point about Apple doing it better than anyone else:
AI is incredibly powerful technology. Still, some appear to be racing forward, seemingly pursuing AI for the sake of AI, without clear regard to the people, all of us, that it’s ultimately meant to serve.
Many AI features Apple introduced made me wonder how these differ from the competition. Sure, there is the focus on privacy, even though that aspect left questions unanswered and it doesn’t fix the inherent issues with this technology.
AI is now everywhere
Apple is integrating AI deeply into its operating systems, and I hope people can still opt out if they so choose. Even if this remains a possibility for now, I wonder if in the future you’re stripped of that choice. Like if you want to use Spotlight, you must enable Apple Intelligence.
From the presentation, it was not clear when your device sends your Siri requests to the cloud and when it processes them on the device. Since there was no visual difference between the requests, the user can’t be certain how their personal data is handled.
Unlike one of Apple’s keynote presenters who was extra eager about AI-generated email and text features, I felt disturbed. In fact, I would feel insulted if someone sent me an AI-generated email or text. The improved image generation continues to produce AI slop to the world, while AI-generated recipes will reduce traffic to websites similarly to search engines with AI-generated summaries.
Siri AI won’t be available to EU users, which was a consolation in an otherwise depressing AI section. The EU Commission stated how Apple can only blame itself for not implementing the framework to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Apple claimed that doing this would give third-party apps too broad access to users’ data. The thing is, if Apple considers the access level dangerous, then surely one could question if even Apple should have that kind of access. While Apple doesn’t use this data for nefarious purposes, there are no guarantees for the future. Apple’s use of Private Cloud Compute sounds reassuring, but the risks to users’ data will remain as long as your device sends data to the cloud without the guarantee of end-to-end encryption.
Software updates
During the presentation, Apple was proud to point out how even the iPhone 11 series (released in 2019) will receive the latest iOS 27. What Apple didn’t mention was that multiple Apple Watch models, including the 1st gen. Ultra and Series 8, (released in 2022) had been left without future updates. RIP to those who spent $800 for the Ultra and have to throw their perfectly functional watch away just because Apple decided so. Since Apple’s focus with its software this year is more about optimizing the system instead of introducing features, it makes me wonder how these models couldn’t support the new version.
This is not the direction we should aim for, and I expect more from Apple, which has had a solid track record regarding updates. Apple’s move definitely makes me question if I want to get an Apple Watch in the future after my current model stops receiving updates.
Final reflections
While I was watching Apple’s keynote presentation, my joy of seeing Apple focus on optimizing its platforms quickly moved into the familiar discomfort I feel about the current direction of technology, where AI seems like the only thing that interests people and companies. While AI has ethical concerns, most people don’t stop to consider them. This applies to many things beyond AI, so I can’t say I’m surprised.
It feels like we’re entering this techno-dystopian world, where the future is all about AI. You can either stay behind and become irrelevant or jump on board and embrace the technology like everyone else. I can only hope that the AI bubble will burst soon enough. 🌔