Apple is releasing a free software update that will inject the first dose of artificial intelligence into the iPhone 16 series as the trend-setting company tries to catch up latest craze of technology.

Monday’s upgrade to the iOS 18 operating system comes more than a month after four iPhone 16 models were equipped with the special computer chip needed to power AI features. Available for sale at prices ranging from $800 to $1,200. Last year’s premium models (iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max) also have a processor that will enable artificial intelligence technology after the software update is installed.

The latest versions of Apple’s iPad and Mac computers can also be updated with the software.

Countries outside the US won’t be able to get the AI ​​software for their iPhones until next year (at a date yet to be determined). Apple I’ve spent the last five weeks We’re testing AI software among an audience of iPhone owners who have signed up to help the company fine-tune the technology.

The AI ​​infusion is expected to transform Siri, Apple’s often clumsy virtual assistant, into a more chatty, versatile and colorful friend whose presence will be indicated by a bright light surrounding the iPhone’s screen as requests are carried out.

While Apple promises that Siri will be able to handle more tasks and be less confusing, it won’t be able to interact with other apps installed on the iPhone until another software update is released at an unspecified date.

Other AI features included in this software update will handle a variety of writing and proofreading tasks and summarize the content of emails and other documents. AI will also provide various editing tools to change the appearance of photos and make it easier to find old photos.

Other AI tricks that will be included in future software updates will include the ability to create customized emojis on the fly or create other fantastic images on demand. Apple also plans to enable its AI suite to take help from OpenAI’s ChatGPT when users request it.

Many of the AI ​​features Apple introduced on Monday are already available on Android-powered smartphones. SAMSUNG And Google It was published earlier this year.

In an effort to distinguish its approach from the early leaders of artificial intelligence, the iPhone’s new technology suite is being marketed as “Apple Intelligence.” Apple also promises that AI features will do a much better job of protecting iPhone owners’ privacy by running the technology on the device or by concentrating it in a fortress-like data center when some requests need to be processed remotely.

Since most iPhones currently in use around the world lack the computer chip needed for Apple’s artificial intelligence, the technology is expected to drive huge demand for new models during the holiday season and into next year as well. This is the main reason why Apple’s stock price has risen 18% since it previewed its AI strategy in Cupertino, California. At a conference in early June. This rise increased Apple’s market value by nearly $500 billion, bringing it close to becoming the first U.S. company worth $4 trillion.

Apple will give investors a first look at how the iPhone 16 is doing on Thursday when it releases quarterly financial information for the July-September quarter, a period that includes the first few days when new models go on sale.

Research firm International Data Corp. According to an assessment of the smartphone market in the last quarter by , demand for high-end iPhone 15 models increased as prices fell and excitement increased about Apple’s entry into the artificial intelligence market.

Apple’s iPhone shipments increased by 3.5 percent to 56 million worldwide in the July-September period compared to the same period last year, ranking second after Samsung. According to IDC. IDC analyst Nabila Popal said the question now is whether Apple’s gradual introduction of more AI will lead to older iPhone owners spending money on new models during the holidays and “future-proof their purchases over the long term.”