Apple is adding more artificial intelligence features as it nears completion of a major new software tool for app developers that will increase competition with Microsoft.
The company has been working on the tool for a year as part of the next major release of Xcode, the company's flagship programming software.
Apple has now expanded internal testing of these features and accelerated development ahead of their planned release to software makers earlier this year.
The next major release of Xcode works similarly to Microsoft's GitHub Copilot and uses AI to predict and complete code, simplifying the coding process and saving time and money.
Apple is also exploring using artificial intelligence to create code to test apps, which is often a lengthy process.
Apple is hiring engineers to test these new AI features internally to ensure they work properly before releasing them to external developers.
These initiatives are part of a broader effort to generate artificial intelligence and language models at scale.
Apple is trying to catch up with its technology peers in a booming market, even as the company promises to discuss its artificial intelligence plans later this year.
The announcement could come in June when the company holds its annual developers conference.
Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, has asked his team to develop a number of new AI features for this year's operating system update.
He also instructed his aides to prepare to leverage technology's capabilities, something company executives demonstrated to the board late last year.
iOS 18 is expected to introduce a slew of new AI features. The company plans to promote this update as one of the most important updates in the iPhone's 16-year history.
Apple is also planning to introduce some AI features in the next version of macOS.
Apple is taking a gradual approach to developing artificial intelligence, with some improvements missing for years.
The company is also exploring other new AI features, including the ability to automatically create Apple Music playlists and slideshows in Keynote, a competitor to PowerPoint.
Other features being considered include an improved version of Spotlight, a system-wide search feature.
The new version is supposed to be able to switch between specific functions within the application and answer complex questions based on data trained on large language models.
Early redesigns of Spotlight included the use of large language models to answer complex questions and the ability to drill down into applications to support specific features.
The current version of Spotlight is limited to launching apps, performing basic web searches, and getting information like weather and sports scores.
The company continues to improve its end-to-end language model to improve Siri and services like AppleCare support.
The company wants to improve Siri's ability to accurately answer complex questions, and its customer service team is working to speed up chat and phone support. Apple is also investing in integrating artificial intelligence into its health features.