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iPhone drops from 1st to 3rd place in China, as Apple struggles to launch AI features

iPhone drops from 1st to 3rd place in China, as Apple struggles to launch AI features | Riverside buildings at night in Fuzhou, China

The iPhone has lost its crown as the best-selling phone in China, dropping to 3rd place in the latest market intelligence data.

One factor is the company’s struggle to launch Apple Intelligence features in the country after being unable to get permission to use its own generative AI model there …

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Apple Intelligence summaries mess could be solved in three ways – Jason Snell

Apple Intelligence summaries mess could be solved in three ways (Mangione headline shown)

Writing at Six Colors, veteran tech writer Jason Snell thinks Apple’s plan to address the Apple Intelligence summaries mess doesn’t go far enough, and has three suggestions for the company.

The post follows a series of embarrassing mistakes in attempted summaries of news stories, which have variously claimed that Luigi Mangione shot himself, announced the winner of a competition which hadn’t even taken place, and reported the non-existent coming out of a tennis player …

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OpenAI thinks it knows how to build artificial general intelligence, as we await smarter Siri

OpenAI thinks it knows how to build artificial general intelligence | Abstract AI image of artificial brain

We may still be mostly waiting for a smarter Siri, but OpenAI CEO Sam Altman thinks the company already knows how to create the holy grail of AI: artificial general intelligence (AGI).

AGI is the term given to an AI system which can match or exceed human cognitive capabilities across a wide range of fields – in other words, AI which is at least as smart as we are …

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PSA: Look out for hyper-personalized phishing attacks, powered by AI

Hyper-personalized phishing attacks, powered by AI | Man typing on MacBook

Phishing attacks are about to get a whole lot more convincing. A new report warns that scammers are now using AI to scrape information about you from your online profiles in order to send hyper-personalized emails which target your login credentials.

By finding out everything from your employer to your interests, scammers can send emails which have a far greater chance of appearing to be genuine …

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Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses could get a display next year

Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses could get a display next year | Existing model shown

Ray-Ban Meta have been the most successful smart glasses to date, offering an appealing mix of features in a form factor which is visually indistinguishable from normal sunglasses.

So far, all of the AI functionality, notifications, and messaging features have relied on the glasses reading things to you through integrated speakers, but a new report says a future model will get a display, and that it could launch as early as next year …

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AI video editing coming to Instagram next year, using text prompts

AI video editing coming to Instagram next year, using text prompts | Motorcycle jumping over erupting volcano

AI video editing based on text prompts is coming to Instagram next year, with the company’s head showing off the ability to do things like change your clothing and video background, as well as some funkier stuff like adding animated characters.

The company had earlier shown a demo video (below) of completely AI-generated video, stating that it was just a research project, but it seems the first practical application of the tech is arriving sooner than expected …

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Apple Intelligence Chinese launch remains problematic as talks continue

Apple Intelligence Chinese launch remains problematic as talks continue | Illustration of circuit board with AI chip

An Apple Intelligence Chinese launch isn’t looking much closer, as the company continues forced talks with local companies about partnerships.

Apple reportedly wanted to use its own generative AI models in China, but that would require government approval which – it has been strongly implied – would not be forthcoming …

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Call to ban Apple Intelligence summary feature after Luigi Mangione error

Apple Intelligence summary feature should be banned says RSF | Screengrab of false summary

The Apple Intelligence summary feature should be banned after it falsely claimed that Luigi Mangione had shot himself, says Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF).

The non-profit body advises the United Nations, Council of Europe, and other governmental agencies on issues relating to journalism and freedom of information …

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Huge growth in AI usage could cause electricity blackouts in US from next year

Huge growth in AI usage could cause electricity blackouts in US and Canada next year | Electricity pylons at sunrise

Electricity regulators are concerned that the huge growth in AI usage could lead to power blackouts in the US and Canada as early as next year. The prediction was published shortly after the public release of iOS 18.2 brought many more Apple Intelligence features online.

Artificial intelligence services like ChatGPT and Apple’s own Private Cloud Compute servers will see data center power usage double in the course of just four years, and power grids will likely struggle to keep up with this demand …

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Most iPhone owners see little to no value in Apple Intelligence so far

Most iPhone owners see little to no value in Apple Intelligence so far | AI icons seen on Mac, iPad, and iPhone

A new survey suggests that Apple Intelligence matters to iPhone buyers, but the majority say that the initial features add little to no value. It remains to be seen whether Genmoji and ChatGPT integration will change that view.

Things are even worse for Samsung smartphones, with an even greater majority of owners saying they can’t see much point in the AI features offered …

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Meta thinks social media can protect us from deep fakes

Meta thinks social media can protect us from deep fakes | A fake Tom Cruise as Iron Man

Deep fakes are arguably the most dangerous aspect of AI. It’s now relatively trivial to create fake photos, audio, and even video. See below for deep fakes of Morgan Freeman and Tom Cruise, for example.

But while social media has so far been used as a mechanism for distributing deep fakes, Instagram head Adam Mosseri thinks it can actually play a key role in debunking them …

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Luigi Mangione fake news could have been easily avoided by Apple Intelligence

Luigi Mangione fake news could have been easily avoided by Apple Intelligence | Illustration of a typewriter with fake news text

Apple Intelligence managed to create a piece of Luigi Mangione fake news last week, thanks to the notification summary feature. It somehow decided that the suspect in the killing of United Health CEO Brian Thompson had shot himself.

The mistake, in itself, is not surprising: AI systems make this kind of error all the time. What is rather more surprising is that Apple allowed it to happen when it could have been easily avoided …

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Tim Cook denies OpenAI rumors; talks AI energy use; Apple Glasses; saving lives

Tim Cook Wired interview | Cook seen against abstract background

A wide-ranging interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook reveals him (kind of) denying OpenAI rumors; addressing the potential conflict between the power requirements of AI and Apple’s environmental goals; the journey toward Apple Glasses; and how Apple’s greatest legacy may be saving lives.

Cook kicks off by denying that Apple was late to AI, pointing out that the company first built a neural engine into its products back in 2017 …

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China tries to exert control over Apple Intelligence launch there

A top government official has warned that an Apple Intelligence launch in China would be a “difficult and long process” unless the iPhone maker partners with a local AI company. Working with a Chinese company would instead be “simple and straightforward.”

Apple had reportedly been exploring using its own generative AI models in China, but a top regulator has strongly implied that this wouldn’t be in the Cupertino company’s best interests …

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Smartphone buyers meh on AI, care much more about battery life

Smartphone buyers meh on AI | Priority notifications shown on the iPhone 16

Apple may be pitching Apple Intelligence as a key reason to upgrade to the iPhone 16, but it seems that most smartphone buyers are far more interested in the basics – like battery life.

A survey found that only a relatively small minority of consumers are currently using AI features on their smartphones, and it doesn’t yet seem to be a purchase driver …

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Can we ever trust photos again, in an AI age? Apple and others working the problem

Can we ever trust photos again, in an AI age? | AI image created with Photoshop

At a time when you can ask AI to modify an existing photo in almost any way you please, or even ask it to generate a completely artificial image, can we ever trust photos again?

Apple is working to address the issue in two ways, and many of us are hoping it will also join an emerging new standard for content authenticity …

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TSMC says it reported itself to US govt; Apple chip production may be at risk [U]

TSMC may have breached US sanctions – Apple chip production could be at risk | Huawei smartphone shown

The US Commerce Department is carrying out an investigation into whether Apple chipmaker TSMC breached US sanctions against China by supplying smartphone and AI chips to Huawei. The probe was in part driven by Huawei’s surprising ability to resume competing with iPhones.

Update: A new report today says that TSMC reported itself to the US government based on its own suspicions about an order.

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Is Apple really two years behind on AI, and does it matter anyway?

Is Apple really two years behind on AI | Apple Intelligence logos on Mac, iPad, and iPhone

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported over the weekend that some Apple employees believe that the company is about two years behind the curve on artificial intelligence.

Tim Cook didn’t directly address that during an interview with the WSJ, but did say that the company’s aim is always to be best, not first – and that this includes AI …

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Tim Cook defends Apple coming late to AI with four words

Cook defends Apple coming late to AI with four words | Cook posing with Vision Pro display

While the iPhone 16 launch was all about Apple Intelligence, many have accused the company of being very late to the AI party. Indeed, a new piece yesterday suggested that this view is shared by many inside the company.

But Apple CEO Tim Cook argues in a new interview that he doesn’t see it that way, and says that the company has taken its time with AI for the same reason it has with every innovation …

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