Apple developers get first look at new iPhone AI features, Meta launches open-source AI

Apple (AAPL) has unveiled a beta version of its new operating system for developers to test its new Apple Intelligence features. While still in development, the phone showcases AI capabilities including priority email summarization, advanced photo search, and AI-powered writing tools.

Meanwhile, Meta Platforms (META) has launched its open-source AI model, Llama 3.1, allowing broader access to artificial intelligence technology.

Yahoo Finance tech editor Dan Howley breaks down these developments, exploring their potential impact on the tech landscape and user experience.

For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Wealth!

This post was written by Angel Smith

Editor's note: This post was updated to clarify what Apple released

Video Transcript

Exciting news for Apple users as the company has released a beta version of their Apple intelligence features to developers here to tell us all about some of those new functions we've got Yahoo Finance Dan Halley for this week's edition of Tech Support.

Have you got You've got your hands on this now.

Yeah, I ha.

I have it right here.

Uh, it's, you know, it's still very early.

I think that's something that's extremely important to point out.

This is the beta for developers, not even for the public.

So, uh, it's not quite finished.

Uh, but what this means for the the average user is that now developers are going to be able to start using this.

They're gonna start being able to develop some apps for it.

And I've been able to use, uh, uh, some of the features so far.

I think, uh, searching in photos is actually pretty interesting.

Uh, we were talking about this just before, uh, during the break, how you can search for someone at a location and it'll pull it up.

I was looking for a picture of my wife at the Louvre.

Um, because we're fancy, uh, and, uh it pulled it up.

No problem.

Um, you can also look for a picture of me at a bar.

And there's probably 10,000 of them in my phone already, So I think that might just break it.

But there's other features like, uh uh, the, uh, writing tools that's gonna be able to change the style of your writing.

It's a little hidden at this point.

Uh, when it comes to text, there is priority email.

Uh, so I've been in the the, uh, email app.

It's what I use all the time.

It does show priority email messages.

Some of them aren't exactly what I would call priority for me right now.

Uh, but the summarization.

Is actually really helpful because I have tonnes of emails that are just 8 million threads long, uh, and I just wanna get to it.

Uh, and the summarization tool helps like that.

So really, I think the the the big takeaway for them releasing this to developers, though, is that now they're gonna be able to implement these features into their own apps.

And so that's where we're gonna really start to see the, uh a I features generative A I features really shine because, you know, Apple adding it to its own, uh, apps is helpful for sure, but it's going to be when the developers get them and start going from there.

And you know the perfect case scenario of that or or the the the perfect base scenario for that is what happened when they opened up the APP store.

Apple's apps were good.

Uh, but once they opened up the APP store started letting other developers in, we saw everything just explode.

Now am I saying that it's gonna be exactly like the app store and start, you know, another economy?

Not exactly.

But we are going to get some really cool features and I think worth worth playing with then while we have you, Meta has also been rolling out New A. I features.

What do we know about their efforts there?

Yeah, so they rolled out some new open source A. I features, and basically Mark Zuckerberg has a kind of manifesto at this point where he's saying, we want open source A I to rule the day and really the the reason why that's good, uh, is because it means that more companies more users would be able to get access to a I rather than having to sign up uh, proprietary service, something like Chad GP T or something along those lines, Uh, or the advanced versions, uh, of GP T. That's Mark Zuckerberg's take.

He wants to see this kind of open source project move forward with a I across the board, not just for met his A I offerings, but everyone's A I offerings.

He's got kind of a grudge, though, for for doing this and just for a little, you know, Silicon Valley gossip.

It's because he doesn't like Apple, uh, and how they closed source and how, when he wants to update Instagram or Facebook, he can't do it the way he wants.

And so he specifically called this out in his kind of call for open source A I.

So it's also, you know, it's open source and closed source.

I think they both had their places.

It's going to help consumers.

At the end of the day, it's gonna help regular users when, uh, we start to see more usefulness come out of generative a I because right now it's still very much like the enterprise is using it.

Awesome.

What does that mean for everyone else?

What does that mean for the people who aren't necessarily using, uh, uh, customer relationship management or something like that system?

Uh, but I think it's it's interesting just because the gossip is fun, just like I mean, you know the head of meta going after Tim Cook?

Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

Uh, the inner workings of all of the tech companies here.

Fascinating to watch.

Dan, thanks so much.

Appreciate you tracking this.

We can't wait to get my own hands on this at some point, but I guess I have to upgrade my phone too.

That's gonna be a problem, OK?

Yeah.

All right.

12 pro.

Max is not gonna cut it out.

All right?

Thanks, Dan.

Appreciate it.