Apple Will Start Analysing Your Device’s Data To Train AI Models, Strengthen Apple Intelligence

Apple, in an attempt to strengthen its troubled AI platform, Apple Intelligence, will start analysing data on users’ devices. In his latest piece, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman notes that Apple will start comparing user data collected on-device with synthetic data it collects to train AI models.

According to Gurman, Apple currently uses synthetic data—data designed to replicate real-world inputs without revealing any personal information of users—to train its AI models. However, its AI algorithms have a tougher time functioning correctly because that synthetic data is not always indicative of real user data. “Synthetic data are created to mimic the format and important properties of user data but do not contain any actual user-generated content,” Apple wrote in a blog post on its website. 

In order to improve AI model training, the company will be able to determine which of its synthetic data is closest to real-world information by analysing device data. Apple’s move aims at safeguarding user data while catching up to its competitors such as Google’s Gemini, Microsoft AI, and OpenAI. OpenAI and Alphabet Inc. platforms reportedly have fewer privacy restrictions than Apple’s.

In March, Apple notably postponed the release of many powerful Siri capabilities, saying that a more personalised ‌Siri‌ experience will take longer than expected and the features would only be rolled out “in the coming year”. Now it appears that Apple is changing the way it trains its AI models in an effort to set the stage for the next Apple Intelligence improvements.

As per Gurman, the way the technology operates is by comparing a recent sample of user emails from the iPhone, iPad, and Mac email apps with the synthetic data that Apple has produced. Apple can then identify which elements in its synthetic dataset are most consistent with real-world texts by verifying the fake inputs with real emails.

Apple will use these findings to enhance text-related capabilities in its Apple Intelligence platform, including user message summaries, the capacity to synthesise ideas in Writing Tools, and summaries in notifications.

The new data-collection method will reportedly be implemented by Apple as part of iOS 18.5, iPadOS 18.5, and macOS 15.5, which are presently running in beta.