Image by Ben Miller, from Flickr
Major AI Updates At WWDC: From Apple Intelligence To ChatGPT Integration
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
Apple made major announcements at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) yesterday. The tech giant revealed new updates and AI-powered features, including the new Apple Intelligence technology and a Siri integration with ChatGPT.
“Welcome to Apple Park, we are glad you could join us for what promises to be an action-packed and memorable WWDC,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s Chief Executive Officer, from what looked like the rooftop of the Apple Park building after an entertaining video introduction. “Today we are going to have some incredible updates to our platforms, and I’m excited that we’ll introduce profound new intelligence capabilities.”
During the nearly two-hour event , company experts showcased new products and services, starting with new original shows for Apple TV+, and moving on to new AI updates for Vision Pro and Vision OS, iOS 18 for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT integration, and more.
According to CNBC , most of the new updates will be on the beta version for developers and available for users with updated software and devices by the end of the year.
The Conference Highlight: Apple Intelligence
One of the most expected features announced was the introduction of a new generative AI assistant to compete against other rivals in the AI race . Apple revealed its new product, Apple Intelligence.
“Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that puts powerful generative models right at the core of your iPhone, iPad, and Mac,” said senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi when presenting the new generative AI tool. Federighi explained that this new AI technology will focus on security and providing a personalized experience.
Apple Intelligence will be incorporated into iOS 18. It’ll allow users to write high-quality and error-free text before sending or posting anything online, get curated notifications, edit and create AI personalized images and animations, and do tasks by going through apps and following the users’ orders. All the new features will be linked between Apple devices and across multiple platforms.
Federighi emphasized the two main characteristics that will make this tool different from other products: understanding personal context and respecting the user’s privacy.
“It’s aware of your personal data, without collecting your personal data,” explained Federighi, adding that this is possible because of the new architecture that focuses on on-device information and processes it with the new A17 Pro and M family chips.
To guarantee the best service for this new AI product, Federighi also announced the new Private Cloud Compute, a security system that also focuses on privacy and optimized storage.
An Enhanced Siri Including ChatGPT Integration
Kelsey Peterson, Apple’s head of AI and machine learning, presented the upgraded Siri, showcasing its improved understanding of voice commands as well as text prompts. The new Apple Intelligence integration also allows it to perform more tasks, and access on-screen activities and device information for a more personal experience.
To expand Siri’s capabilities, Federighi officially announced a new partnership with OpenAI and showed what the new integration of ChatGPT to Apple devices will look like. “Siri can tap into ChatGPT’s expertise when it might be helpful for you,” said Federighi and explained that Siri will ask users if they want to get results from ChatGPT or share content—like images, documents, or PDFs— with OpenAI’s technology.
The new ChatGPT integration will be free and, like the new AI features, will soon be available for users of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and MacOS Sequoia.
Image by Caspar Camille Rubin, from Unsplash
New Twitch DJ Program Allows Streamers to Play Copyrighted Music For a Fee
- Written by Shipra Sanganeria Cybersecurity & Tech Writer
- Fact-Checked by
Twitch announced a new program last week that allows DJ live streamers to share a portion of their earnings with record labels for the rights to use songs in their live streams. The popular live-streaming platform will provide these copyrighted tracks to creators in a new DJ category, which is part of the Twitch DJ Program launching in July/August 2024.
Twitch has signed agreements with major record labels like Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music, as well as numerous independent labels represented by licensing agency Merlin according to the company blog post .
Under the new program, monetizing DJs who opt-in can share a percentage of their earnings to cover music rights costs, which wasn’t possible before. While Twitch hasn’t disclosed the fee publicly, CEO Dan Clancy stated it will vary based on channel monetization methods.
The company hopes that this program will give DJs a secure and long-term live-streaming platform while mitigating the risks of bans associated with Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices.
This became especially significant as the number of DJs streaming on the platform surged more than fourfold since 2020, with 15,000 of them monetizing their streams, according to TechCrunch . DJ streamers were reportedly receiving thousands of weekly DMCA notices beginning in May 2020.
“It’s crucial that DJs understand the status quo on Twitch was not sustainable, and any viable future for the community required we find a solution,” Clancy wrote in a blog post. Clancy underscored this point in an April interview with the TweakMusicTips channel, suggesting the inevitability of a revenue-sharing model between record labels and DJs.
The program was welcomed by many in the Twitch DJ Community. “Still thanks for thinking of us DJs, this will stop those copyright emails every week,” said one creator on X .
“Good to see they are thinking about DJ streams [as] a category (and sounds like there might be product improvements that make discoverability of this category easier). Obviously sucks to have to pay but I suppose some level of rev share was an inevitability,” said another creator on Reddit .
However, there are lingering questions among the community regarding the payment of licensing fees, particularly among creators who already pay in other forms outside of Twitch. Other concerns come from streamers who use their channels to stream more than just DJ content.
“It’s crazy to see how this will actually be enforced. There are streamers that broadcast live DJs while gaming … Also, what about those DJs that already pay for a licensing fee for multiple labels because they are in the industry?!?! So many questions!!” said one X user in response to Twitch’s announcement on the platform.
During the first year, Twitch will cover the entire royalty costs for existing DJs on the platform. However, over the course of 12 months, the subsidy will gradually decrease. Following the subsidy period, the typical cost-sharing arrangement with Twitch will be a 50/50 split.
This change will not affect the financial viability of non-monetizing DJs and channels featuring other uses of music, like self-composed songs.
