Apple is taking steps to improve its artificial intelligence tools after criticism of its AI features, especially weak notification summaries.
Also read: Apple’s AI Generates False News Headlines
To solve this, Apple will train its AI models using synthetic data. At the same time, it will protect user privacy through a method called differential privacy.
This method ensures the company never sees your actual personal data. Yet, it still helps Apple build smarter tools for the iPhone and other devices.
How Apple’s New AI Training Works
The company’s process is simple but effective. Here’s how it works:
- Apple creates synthetic emails that resemble real ones. These are fake messages designed to reflect common email patterns.
- It builds summaries, known as embeddings, from those emails. These include basic details like topic, length, and tone.
- Apple sends the embeddings, not the messages, to a small group of devices. These devices belong to users who have agreed to share analytics.
- Each device compares the synthetic data to samples stored locally.
- The device then sends feedback to Apple about which samples match best.
What Is Synthetic Data?
Synthetic data is artificial information. It’s designed to look and act like real data. For example:
A real email might say: “Let’s meet at 3 p.m. to discuss the budget.” However, a synthetic version could say: “Meeting at 2 p.m. to review sales goals.”
It follows the same structure, but it’s not based on real conversations. This method helps Apple train AI safely. No actual content leaves your device.
Differential Privacy
Apple uses a privacy technique called differential privacy. This method scrambles data before it leaves your device.
Even if Apple sees patterns, it cannot identify individual users. Therefore, user information remains private.
Apple sees only general trends, never personal details. This makes AI training both safe and effective.
Features That Will Benefit From AI Improvements
| Feature | Description | AI Impact |
| Genmoji | Custom emoji creation | More accurate, personal emoji suggestions |
| Image Playground | AI-generated images | Improved detail and realism |
| Image Wand | Sketch to image conversion | Smoother, smarter image generation |
| Memories Creation | Photo and video highlights | Better storylines in memory collections |
| Writing Tools | Suggestions in Mail and Notes | More relevant and natural recommendations |
| Visual Intelligence | Image recognition and analysis | Faster and more accurate detection |
| Email Summaries | Notification previews for emails | Smarter and more useful summaries |
Apple is moving quickly to stay competitive in AI. While other companies focus on cloud-based AI, Apple remains focused on on-device intelligence. This will enable Apple to deliver better AI tools, stronger privacy safeguards and faster responses.
