Apple is reportedly developing new artificial intelligence features for its Xcode development platform and its Spotlight search utility, according to a Bloomberg report. The company is said to be nearing the completion of an AI tool for Xcode that will help developers write code faster and easier, as well as exploring the use of AI to enhance Spotlight’s capabilities.
Xcode to get AI-powered code generation tool
Xcode, Apple’s integrated development environment for creating apps for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, will soon get a new feature that will use AI to predict and complete blocks of code, similar to Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot. The AI tool will also be able to generate code for testing applications, which is often a tedious process for developers.
Apple is currently testing the new AI features internally and plans to release them to third-party developers as early as this year, according to sources familiar with the matter. The company is also pushing some engineers to try these new AI features as part of a “dogfooding” effort, when a company uses its own products, to make sure they work properly before releasing them to outside developers.
The new AI system will operate similarly to Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot and use large language models (LLMs), the technology that powers AI tools, to generate code based on natural language requests and convert code from one programming language to another. LLMs are developed by bombarding software with a torrent of data, such as text, images, and audio.
Spotlight to get LLM boost and generative AI features
Spotlight, Apple’s search utility that is available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, is also under consideration for an AI overhaul, according to the report. The new version of Spotlight will use LLMs to answer more complex questions and the ability to tap deeper into apps to launch specific functions.
The current version of Spotlight is mostly limited to launching apps, making basic web searches, and pulling up information like the weather and sports scores. The new version will be able to toggle between specific features within apps and answer complex questions based on data trained from LLMs.
For example, users could ask Spotlight to show them the latest news on a certain topic, play a specific song on Apple Music, or create a slideshow on Keynote. The new version of Spotlight will also use generative AI, which can create new content from scratch, such as images, text, or audio.
Apple is also looking at potential uses for generative AI in other consumer-facing products, such as Apple Music, Keynote, and Siri, the report says. However, the company is taking a gradual approach to AI development, and some features may not come for years.
Apple’s AI plans: A slew of new features for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15
The new AI features for Xcode and Spotlight are part of Apple’s broader AI ambitions, which are led by software chief Craig Federighi. According to Bloomberg, Federighi has asked employees to create as many new AI features as possible for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15, which are expected to be announced at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
Apple plans to introduce “a slew of new AI features” across its platforms, and iOS 18 will be marketed as one of the biggest updates to the iPhone since it launched, the report says. Some of the AI features will also come to macOS, but Apple will prioritize iOS and iPadOS, which account for most of its revenue.
Apple has been relatively quiet about its AI research and products, compared to other tech giants like Microsoft, Meta, and Google, which have been more prominent in releasing AI papers and tools. However, Apple has recently released some of its AI projects on GitHub, such as MLX, a framework for training and deploying machine learning models on Apple Silicon, MGIE, an image editing AI model that edits photos based on natural language instructions, and Keyframer, an AI tool that animates still images based on prompts.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has also hinted at the company’s AI plans during its earnings call earlier this month, saying that he was “very excited” about the upcoming AI features and that the company would share more details later this year.
