The two words Apple never mentioned at its iPhone 16 event
CNN
For an event built around unveiling Apple’s first AI-powered iPhone, there was one striking absence over the two-hour presentation: the words “artificial intelligence.”
Apple is wedging AI into its phones like a new U2 album no one asked for. Whether you’re an Apple fangirl who has already reserved the $1,200 iPhone 16 Pro Max or a normie trapped in too many yearslong blue-bubble-only group chats, at some point soon you’ll end up with artificial intelligence features built right into your phone. It hardly matters that the real-world applications for most AI products are, so far, both underwhelming and unreliable. In the absence of any other major innovations, Apple is betting even nascent AI tools will inspire folks to upgrade and usher in a “super cycle” of sales for the next year. However, given the “Apple Intelligence” highlights the company previewed in June and officially rolled out Monday, investors and customers alike may want to temper their expectations. Even Apple seemed to hedge a bit: It never mentioned the words “artificial intelligence.” The new tools look … fine. Cute, even. They are exactly what we’ve come to expect from Apple — intuitive, friendly, mostly not creepy. With iPhone 16, you’ll get a smarter, more human-sounding Siri. You’ll be able to generate bespoke emojis by typing something like “heart eyes zombie eating pizza.” You can point your camera at a dog in the park and the phone can tell you (approximately) what breed it is. But the AI tools on offer right now are firmly in the “nice to have” category — not the “must-have” that would spur someone to drop a grand on a new device.
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