Four AI Options That Never Materialized

Key Takeaways

• No mention of new features can be found on the launch of iOS 18 with regards to Apple Intelligence options.
• While tech giants like Google, Amazon, and OpenAI have touted the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), their promises often fall short, leaving users disappointed.
• Certain choices may require more than a year to become available.

Subsequent to the groundbreaking success of the iPhone, Apple unveiled the latest innovations at their highly anticipated event: the iPhone 4, the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5, and the iPhone 5s were formally introduced. Don’t miss out on getting your hands on the latest fashion trends starting September 20! You won’t receive Apple’s Intuition on September 20th.

When purchasing your brand-new iPhone on its initial release day, you can expect it to arrive without the highly anticipated AI features, including an enhanced Siri and personalized emojis. Despite proudly owning the latest iPhone, none of the Apple Intelligence features are available because they’re simply not ready yet.

The primary options package won’t be available until then, which is expected to arrive in the near future; however, even then, users might only have access to a limited selection of the less impressive choices. The most significant advancements in picture technology are unlikely to emerge until, when Apple is poised to unveil the impressive features that iOS 19 will undoubtedly bring to the table once it’s launched, genuinely.

Technology companies must put an end to astonishing us with the capabilities of their AI options at some point in the future and start being more realistic about our expectations. Failing to deliver on promises because you’re simply not capable can have devastating consequences; it disenfranchises customers, erodes the credibility of companies, and ultimately, undermines trust in the industry. Apple is not alone in teasing us with promises of remarkable AI capabilities that ultimately fail to materialize. All major gaming companies, including Amazon, Google, and OpenAI – the creators of DALL-E – have achieved the same feat. Companies struggling to deliver AI capabilities:

The AI capabilities you’re referring to won’t be available until a future update, specifically with iOS 19.

While Apple has indeed faced challenges in keeping pace with AI advancements, it’s more accurate to state that the company has been playing catch-up rather than “severely lagging” since it has been investing heavily in AI research and development in recent years. The surprise emergence of a major competitor suddenly thrust Apple into a frantic pursuit of innovation, leaving them scrambling to regain their leadership position. Android phones boasting AI capabilities abound, but it’s the arrival of iOS 18 on the iPhone 16 series that marks a groundbreaking first for Apple devices, finally bringing AI-driven features to the iconic smartphone brand.

At Apple’s WWDC24 event in June, the company unveiled a comprehensive array of AI features set to debut on the iPhone. Among the possibilities, comparable to significant advancements in Siri’s functionality, there is genuine excitement about how AI can simplify using an iPhone and unlock novel capabilities that bring immense pleasure.

At launch, none of Apple’s numerous Intelligence options are available.

None of Apple’s numerous Intelligence features are available at launch. Not ONE. The main features are expected to roll out with iOS 18.1’s release, scheduled for October, though the initial update may only offer a limited set of enhancements. Within the next 12 months, we can expect to witness a distinctive animated feature whenever Siri displays enthusiasm.

iOS 18.2 is expected to land in December, introducing advanced picture editing capabilities reminiscent of Picture Playground, as well as the ability to craft unique, personalized emojis. By 2025, we can reasonably expect that Siri’s capabilities will continue to evolve, allowing for seamless integration with on-screen information and enhanced contextual comprehension, thereby empowering users to execute tasks across various applications. It’s possible that the full scope of Apple Intelligence won’t become available until shortly before WWDC25, when the next set of promises is difficult to sustain?

The ChatGPT Superior Voice Mode remains in a highly controlled alpha.

ChatGPT is undoubtedly one of the most renowned names in the realm of AI-powered chatbots, a testament to its exceptional capabilities that have garnered attention from tech giants like Apple, which has even incorporated it into their ecosystem, albeit with a delayed rollout slated for year-end.

OpenAI, the corporation behind ChatGPT, has a history of generating excitement among customers about the capabilities of forthcoming updates to its products only to fall short of delivering on those promises. At its Spring Release event, OpenAI unveiled its latest model, with no mention of the name. The newly unveiled ChatGPT model became available shortly after its debut, enabling users to commence exploring its capabilities. To date, so good.

Notwithstanding this, the GPT-4o’s sole capacity to accept text and image inputs made it incapable of discharging any output. OpenAI announced that voice and video capabilities are slated to roll out within the next few weeks. This understandably sparked widespread excitement, thanks to the stunning visuals and impressive audio capabilities of the voice and video features. The Superior Voice Mode enables seamless, unadulterated conversations through voice commands, with ChatGPT providing prompt responses at your fingertips. You can seamlessly initiate a conversation with ChatGPT at any time, effortlessly switching pace or adopting distinct vocal inflections. It’s also possible to utilize Super Voice Mode for real-time translation.

The video capabilities had truly outshone expectations with their exceptional quality and versatility. Users effectively participate in video conferencing sessions with ChatGPT, during which the AI system has real-time access to their entire desktop or screen. You can point your smartphone camera at a pet, such as a dog or cat, and ask ChatGPT to identify its breed, or snap a photo of your bookshelf and request that ChatGPT create a list of all the books displayed. The integration of this new capability marks a significant leap forward for AI-powered chatbots, poised to greatly enhance their overall utility and value proposition.

Despite assurances that these features would be available within a few weeks, it’s now four months later and voice and video options remain inaccessible to the majority of users. The rollout of the Superior Voice Mode has started for a select few ChatGPT Plus subscribers, but the vast majority of both paid and free users remain unable to access this feature. The app currently indicates that this feature will become accessible to all Plus subscribers by the end of autumn, but I’m skeptical about meeting that timeline.

The impressive array of video options lies just beyond reach, with no hint that they will become available anytime soon? It’s possible that 12 months will pass before we see the full realization of the initially touted features, leaving a significant gap between promise and delivery.

Minor upgrades roll out with deliberate slowness.

Google’s ambitious goals have often outpaced its ability to deliver thus far. In October 2023, Google unveiled a feature that brought to life the long-standing “improve” trope popularized by and . We’ve all witnessed cinematic tropes where a blurry crime scene image is suddenly enhanced through a magic “zoom in” trick, with the protagonist’s command to “enhance!” being met by a miraculous transformation of pixelated details into a crystal-clear view of a license plate’s every digit.

Zoom’s innovative technology leverages artificial intelligence to seamlessly bridge the pixel gap, ensuring crisp and clear image quality when magnifying digital images. One development that was previously considered science fiction has become a reality. The characteristic didn’t materialize until August of this year, a full ten months after its initial introduction. The technology of mobile phones was just about to surpass what existed before its launch.

While this may not be a singular instance of Google’s AI ambitions, At the 2022 Google I/O event in May, the company unveiled a video showcasing the capabilities of Project Astra, an everyday AI agent. The video demonstrated remarkable similarities with the unreleased capabilities of GPT-4.

Companies must stop boasting about their potential capabilities and start providing tangible results that we can utilize immediately.

Using a live video feed on a smartphone, it’s possible to walk around and frame the camera to capture a screen filled with code, allowing the chatbot to explain what the code does, or simply point the phone out the window and ask about your current location. Following a series of inquiries about observed objects, the individual demonstrated the ability to inquire about the whereabouts of their glasses, and the chatbot successfully described their location.

As always, this is incredibly impressive work that has the potential to significantly enhance AI chatbots’ capabilities. Although Google hasn’t specified when this feature will be available, it remains a cutting-edge prototype for now. While its sheer spectacle is undeniable, its true potential remains unrealized until it becomes a practical and usable reality. Companies need to stop boasting about their potential capabilities and start providing tangible results that customers can utilize immediately.

Companies may need to showcase their project to various AI providers for assistance.

In September 2022, Amazon offered a glimpse into what could be the most significant enhancement to its voice assistant since its inception.

With the deployment of generative AI technology, the revamped Alexa is poised to facilitate more natural and seamless conversations, eliminating the need for users to preface every utterance with the “Alexa” wake word. The revamped Alexa boasts significantly reduced latency, allowing conversations with the virtual assistant to feel remarkably lifelike – as if you’re interacting with a real person, minus the wait time for responses. The reimagined Alexa will leverage the camera in select Echo devices to detect and interpret non-verbal signals, supplementing verbal inputs.

The highly anticipated Alexa feature remains elusive, with whispers suggesting its arrival may be pushed back to October, a staggering 14-month delay since its initial unveiling.

The revamped Alexa enables seamless control over your smart home devices with increased ease. You’d be adept at executing multi-step directives, such as “switch off the lounge’s lighting, close the study room’s blinds, and secure the front entrance”, rather than needing to articulate each instruction separately. You’d even possess the capability to construct intricate routines by simply uttering something akin to “Each weekday at 7 am, activate my bedroom light to a warm color temperature, power on my coffee machine, open the lounge blinds, and read my morning news briefing,” and your entire routine could be tailored for you.

Regrettably, Amazon’s newly launched Alexa feature is still nowhere to be found, over a year after its initial announcement and subsequent promises of an imminent release date. It will get worse, nonetheless. Amazon allegedly struggled to achieve desired results with its proprietary AI models, leading to the development of a new Alexa system, reliant on a paid subscription, which will leverage Anthropic’s cutting-edge technology. Despite being over a year old, we’re still waiting for the technology we were initially promised, but instead are getting something rehashed to utilize a new AI model.