Protesters crash annual Apple AI product launch

Demonstrators gathered outside Apple’s headquarters on Monday in Cupertino, Calif. during the 2024 Launch event, where executives unveiled the iPhone 16 and other new products. Protesters accused Apple of exploiting child workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and supporting the war in Gaza. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office responded to protesters on Apple’s campus. However, Apple’s annual launch made headlines not for the protest, but for introducing the company’s first smartphone built to use generative artificial intelligence, widely known as AI.

What will the iPhone 16 do with AI? The phone will be programmed to function similarly to ChatGPT and create text and images from language prompts. For example, a new visual intelligence camera feature will allow users to identify objects and places by pointing the iPhone camera at it. AI would recognize the item and bring up online content about the identified object.

Siri has also been updated to recognize topics discussed in text messages, according to Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi. He used the example of telling Siri, “Send Erica the photos from Saturday’s barbecue,” which the operating system will understand and act on automatically. The phone will also come with an improved processing system, with more memory bandwidth, a tougher screen, and a faster graphic processor.

Any more products introduced at the launch? Apple also introduced the AirPods 4, touting their design as the most comfortable yet. The AirPods may also come with a clinical grade over-the-counter hearing aid feature that Apple expects regulators to approve soon, with the products expected to be available by the end of September. Executives also introduced the Apple Watch 10, now the thinnest smartwatch produced by the company. The new model also has the largest screen display of Apple Watches. The new smartwatch can go 20 feet underwater and is fitted with a water temperature sensor and a depth gauge. The company is also waiting for regulators to approve another feature to detect sleep apnea and identify if users stop breathing while asleep.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Moeller’s report on U.S. Homeland Security recruiting humans to the newly-formed AI Corps.