Apple is giving more people the chance to test a software update that will implant artificial intelligence into its virtual assistant Siri and automate a variety of tedious tasks on the latest iPhone coming out Friday.
The free update was made available Thursday to an audience that has signed up to test Apple's software before it's released to all iPhone owners next month. As of Thursday, only two premium iPhones that came out last year contain the souped-up processor required to power the AI features included in the update, but that will change Friday when four new iPhone 16 models reach store shelves.
All the iPhone 16 models, with starting prices ranging from $800 to $1,200, are equipped to handle the new technology, which the company is marketing as “Apple Intelligence.” That branding is part of an effort to distinguish the iPhone’s AI from similar technology already available in smartphones released earlier this year by Samsung and Google.
The AI features are being promoted as one of the main reasons to buy an iPhone 16, so releasing a test version of the software powering the technology now may prod more consumers to splurge on one of the new models as soon as possible
The AI technology is coming out in U.S. English only for now, but will expand into localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K. in December. Apple plans to expand into other languages and countries next year. The testing of the AI software is beginning just a few days after Apple released its latest mobile operating system, iOS 18, to all its earlier iPhones.
Once the iOS 18.1 upgrade is installed, the often bumbling Siri is supposed to become more conversational, versatile and colorful, with a glowing light that will rotate around the iPhone's screen as it responds to requests. While Apple is promising Siri will be able to perform more tasks and be less prone to becoming confused, it won't be able to interact with other apps installed on the iPhone until another software update comes out at a still-unspecified date.
Other AI features in the software update will handle a variety of writing and proofreading tasks, summarize the content of emails and other documents. The AI also will provide a variety of editing tools to alter the appearance of photos and make it easier to find old pictures.
But the initial update doesn't include other AI tricks still to come, such as the ability to create customized emojis on the fly or conjure other fanciful imagery upon request. Apple also plans to eventually enable its AI suite to get a helping hand from OpenAI's ChatGPT when users want it.
Besides the new iPhone model, Apple's AI features also will work last year's iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max because they have the special computer chip that's required. The update will also bring the ability to record spatial video on those two iPhone 15 models that can be watched on Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro headset.
But the AI won't work on hundreds of millions of other iPhones that are still in use, a drawback that investors are betting will juice Apple's recently slumping sales of the ubiquitous device.
That expectation is the main reason that Apple's stock price has climbed by more than 15% since the company previewed its AI strategy in June, creating $500 billion in shareholder wealth. Some analysts believe the demand for new iPhones could propel Apple's market value above $4 trillion for the first time within the next year.
Attendees take a closer look at the Apple iPhone 16 during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Cupertino, Calif. (AP Photo/Juliana Yamada)
A federal judge has partially sided with the family of a Black man who was fatally shot by a now-imprisoned white Kansas City, Missouri, police detective, ruling that the officer should not have entered the man's backyard.
U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips ruled Wednesday that Eric DeValkenaere violated 26-year-old Cameron Lamb’s Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure by entering his property in 2019 without a warrant or other legal reason to be there.
However, Phillips declined to issue a summary judgment on the family's claim that the ensuing shooting amounted to excessive force, and made no immediate decision on any damages in the wrongful death case filed against the Kansas City police board and DeValkenaere.
John Coyle, an attorney for Lamb’s family, said they hope the ruling will force the police board to “recognize this tragedy and do right by Cameron’s family.”
DeValkenaere is now serving a six-year sentence after he was convicted in 2021 of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the case, which has divided activists and Republican lawmakers.
The shooting happened as Lamb returned home after chasing his girlfriend’s convertible. Lamb was backing into a detached garage in the backyard when DeValkenaere and another detective, Troy Schwalm, arrived.
Phillips, who relied heavily on evidence presented in the criminal case, noted that Lamb kicked over a barricade to get into the backyard and had no legal reason to be there.
DeValkenaere testified at his trial that he fired after Lamb pointed a gun at Schwalm and that he believed his actions saved his partner’s life.
But Phillips noted that Schwalm said he never saw a gun. At the criminal trial, prosecutors argued that police staged the shooting scene to support their claims that Lamb was armed.
Phillips said that factual dispute prevents her from granting summary judgment on the issue of excessive force. A summary judgment is issued without a full trial and granted when the facts aren't in dispute.
Lamb’s name was often invoked during racial injustice protests in Kansas City in 2020.
DeValkenaere left the police force after his conviction but remained free on bond until losing his appeal in October 2023. The Missouri Supreme Court subsequently declined to hear an appeal.
A Kansas City police spokesman said the department doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
DeValkenaere had the backing of Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, whose office asked the appeals court to reverse his conviction or order a new trial. That was unusual because the attorney general’s office typically defends convictions, rather than appeals them.
DeValkenaere’s wife, Sarah DeValkenaere, often uses social media to urge followers to request a pardon. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a former Polk County sheriff, acknowledged the pressure in an interview in August on KCMO Talk Radio.
“There’s not a week that goes by that somebody’s not reaching out to me about that issue and we’re going to see what happens here before long. I’ll leave it at that. But you know, I don’t like where he’s at. I’ll just say that,” Parson said.
Parson didn’t run for reelection because state law bars him from seeking another term. But in the GOP race to determine his replacement, all three major candidates either promised to release DeValkenaere or vowed a close review of his request for clemency.
FILE - Eric DeValkenaere, a Kansas City, Mo., police detective, who shot and killed Cameron Lamb after a chase, testified Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, at the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City, Mo., about what led up to the shooting of Lamb, who was backing his pickup truck into his garage. (Rich Sugg/The Kansas City Star via AP, File)
FILE - Former Kansas City police detective Eric DeValkenaere listens to witness statements during his sentencing hearing, March 4, 2022 in Kansas City, Mo. The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 declined to hear an appeal by DeValkenaere, who is serving a six-year sentence for fatally shooting Cameron Lamb in 2019. (Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star via AP, File)
