Apple to Open AI Models to Developers at WWDC

Apple Inc. is planning to allow third-party developers to use its artificial intelligence (AI) models to create software, aiming to stimulate the development of new applications and enhance the appeal of its devices. According to insiders, Apple is developing a software development kit and related frameworks that will enable external developers to build AI features based on the large language models driving Apple Intelligence. The company is expected to announce this plan at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 9.

Apple Intelligence has already supported features such as notification summaries, text editing, and basic image creation in iOS and macOS. The new initiative will allow developers to integrate this underlying technology into specific features or entire applications. Initially, Apple will open smaller models that can run locally on devices, rather than more powerful cloud-based AI models that require server support.

This move is part of Apple's broader strategy to catch up with competitors in the generative AI field and vie for leadership. Last year, Apple launched Apple Intelligence to narrow the gap with rivals. However, the initial features have not been widely adopted, and other AI platforms remain more powerful. Apple is betting that by extending this technology to developers, it could spawn more attractive use cases.

In addition to allowing developers to use Apple's models to write applications, the company also plans to introduce an AI-based battery management mode for consumers. Another project in development is an AI-integrated health application, which includes a virtual health coach, but this feature is not expected to be ready until 2026.

Apple's journey with Apple Intelligence has been fraught with challenges. Due to errors, Apple had to temporarily suspend the AI-generated news headline summary feature, which drew criticism from several media outlets. The Genmoji custom emoji tool sometimes produced icons that differed significantly from the effects shown in Apple's advertisements. Some more practical features, such as the "writing tool," rely on OpenAI's ChatGPT to generate text.

Currently, developers can only integrate Apple Intelligence into their applications to a limited extent. For example, they can support notification priority sorting and summary features, as well as integrate the writing tool, Genmoji, and the Image Playground image creation application. However, they cannot yet use Apple's underlying AI technology, known as "Apple Foundation Models," to support their own AI features.

Due to the lack of access to Apple's proprietary models, application developers have had to rely on third-party technologies. For a long time, Apple has provided developers with a framework called Core ML, which allows the introduction of open-source models for functions such as image classification, summary generation, and question answering. Developers can also use popular AI frameworks like TensorFlow, developed by Google.

Additionally, the App Store features a range of AI applications provided by major technology companies, including ChatGPT, Microsoft's Copilot, Anthropic's Claude, xAI's Grok, and Perplexity. These applications use their own proprietary AI models.

Apple aims to replicate the success of the early days of the App Store, when the company first opened its internal technology and software frameworks to developers, leading to an explosion in the application ecosystem. By opening its AI models and simplifying the integration process, Apple hopes to transform its operating system into the largest AI software platform.

An increase in applications could also bring financial benefits. Apple takes a cut from in-app subscription revenues. However, the App Store is facing scrutiny from global regulatory bodies. Last month, a U.S. judge ruled that Apple must allow developers to guide users to web pages to complete purchases, bypassing its revenue-sharing system. If a large number of new applications emerge, it could mitigate some of the impact of lost sales.

Apple had originally planned to introduce options for application developers earlier, including a new version of the App Intents feature. This would allow users to control application features more precisely through the Siri voice assistant. Currently, Apple plans to introduce this feature as early as the iOS 19 release cycle, which runs from September of this year to 2026.