Apple Intelligence Vs. Google Gemini

The battle between tech behemoths Apple and Google in the AI arena has been intensifying. After a long wait, Apple finally marked its presence in the AI market when it introduced Apple Intelligence and announced a partnership with OpenAI at WWDC 2024 in June.

Meanwhile, Google has already been integrating AI-powered features into its devices and services since ChatGPT-parent beat the company to the punch by introducing its AI chatbot.

For instance, Google has been using AI-powered algorithms to reduce noise in images captured by its Pixel phones. Its popular Photos service also has AI-powered features to let users edit their photos, among other things.

Now that Cupertino’s caught the wind of AI and Google has made its own AI announcements, though, it’s time to take a step back and see how the two tech giants stack up against each other, especially in the world of smartphones.

What Alphabet Announced At The ‘Made by Google’ Event

Earlier this week, at the Made by Google event, the tech giant launched its Pixel 9 lineup and introduced several AI-driven features.

The Pixel 9 devices now come with Google’s Gemini AI assistant, which offers capabilities like finding information within your apps or answering questions about photos you’ve just taken.

The tech giant also introduced two AI-powered apps: Pixel Screenshots, which allows you to search for information within saved screenshots using on-device AI, and Pixel Studio, a text-to-image generator.

Google also enhanced its image editing tools, with features like the “Add Me” option for seamlessly integrating someone into a group photo and the Magic Editor in Google Photos, which uses generative AI to replace sections of a photo, such as the sky, with ease.

What Apple Announced At WWDC 2024

Cupertino introduced Apple Intelligence at the WWDC in June 2024. Apple Intelligence is the company’s branding for its suite of AI features, set to debut later this year in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. 

The primary goal of Apple Intelligence is to improve the tech giant’s in-house products. From rewriting and proofreading text across various apps to prioritizing important notifications and emails, Apple Intelligence makes the company’s devices more responsive and context-aware. 

It also offers advanced image creation tools, and smart search capabilities in the Photos app, along with AI-powered video generation based on users’ photo library.

Moreover, Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, also received a significant upgrade with Apple Intelligence. The voice assistant now offers richer language understanding, personalized assistance, and the ability to perform complex tasks across apps. 

Siri will also be integrated with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, allowing for even deeper expertise and more sophisticated interactions without compromising privacy.

How Do Apple And Google Stack Against Each Other In AI?

Both Apple and Google are pushing the boundaries of what AI can do, but their approaches are notably different.

Google’s AI, particularly with Gemini, is more focused on immediate, practical applications within its ecosystem, such as enhancing photography and providing intelligent search capabilities.

Apple, on the other hand, seems to be working toward a more holistic approach with Apple Intelligence, integrating AI deeply into the core of its devices while maintaining a strong focus on privacy.

Google or Apple — Which Smartphone Giant Is Behind?

While both Apple and Google have lagged behind OpenAI when it comes to launching AI services aimed at consumers, there is one important difference between the two companies.

Last year, Google was hesitant to show off its AI features in a real-time demonstration – the company instead relied on an edited version. This year, Apple adopted the pre-recorded approach to showing off its AI features.

Both these approaches show the lack of confidence of these companies in their AI announcements.

However, there was one major change in what Google did this year – it showed off its AI capabilities in a live demonstration. Even though it failed two times, the third time was the charm. It showed that the company is ready to hit the market now.

Rick Osterloh, Google’s device chief, told CNBC, “What we were showing today is the stuff that is shipping in the next few days or weeks, and that’s really critical.”

Apple Intelligence features, on the other hand, are currently limited only to developers. Some of the important features it showed off, like Siri advancements, image generation, and ChatGPT integration, are still being cooked at Apple HQ.

Although Apple has entered the AI race, the company still has some ways to go before it can catch up to Google. Some, like Mark Gurman, think Apple is “at least” two to three years behind Google.

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