(Credit: Apple)
Apple today unveiled a suite of AI-powered features coming to its next-gen operating systems, including user-generated emoji for any situation alongside image generation and editing tools.
Apple's AI-powered emoji, first leaked over two weeks ago, were officially unveiled during its WWDC keynote this morning. Known as "Genmoji," presumably short for generative or generated emoji, users type in a description for their desired AI image and Apple will spit it out.
It's also possible to use existing images to create Genmoji of friends, pets, or family members. Genmoji can be used in the same way as regular emoji, according to Apple, and can be sent in iMessages or as stickers or reactions.
Apple also showed off Image Playground, which will generate AI images in animation, illustration, or sketch artistic styles. It will be bundled into Apple's software but also released as a standalone app. Look for it in Apple's Keynote, Freeform, and Pages apps; it may also pop up in third-party apps if developers use its API.
In Apple's Notes app, Image Playground will be accessible through an Apple Pencil tool called Image Wand, which can help fill out sketches or generate images in blank space on the app.
Apple is also rolling out a quick edit feature called Clean Up that can automatically remove background objects in photos. Apple promises that Clean Up won't do things like warp faces or wreck the focal point of the image. If you're having trouble finding a photo in your library, meanwhile, Apple promises better search functionality, so you can ask Photos to pull up a photo of "Katie with stickers on her face."
The features are part of Apple Intelligence, the company's take on artificial intelligence. It's coming to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia as a beta in US English this fall on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with M1 and later.