Apple's Latest Update Finally Integrates Key AI Features --- Genmojis, ChatGPT and more give the iPhone 16 a reason for being

"Apple did it. The iPhone maker has finally released AI that allows humanity to reach its full potential: You can now make a you-emoji with poop-emoji hair.

Yes, behold Genmoji. Arriving Wednesday as part of iOS 18.2, Apple's make-your-own-emoji machine is just one of several long-awaited Apple Intelligence tools, along with Image Playground and integrated ChatGPT. The catch?

 These features require an iPhone 15 Pro or the latest iPhone 16 models. And the real star, Visual Intelligence, only runs on the 16.

So let's call this column what it is: my iPhone 16 re-review.

Back in September, I didn't fully review the iPhone 16 models because Apple's first "AI phone" was missing Apple Intelligence features. Instead, I outsourced the job to Joannabot, my trusty text buddy.

With iOS 18.2, Apple's first meaningful step into its AI future is here. . .if you have the new phone. Are these new features life-changing? I mean, I haven't been the same since I generated Bitcoin Santa. You might feel differently -- and there are bigger advancements to come, like a Siri that understands what's happening on your screen. Still, there's no debating it's a step up from the meh iOS 18.1.

Here's my breakdown of the AI in Apple's update this week.

Siri's new BFF

On the last episode of "Apple Intelligence," we got Writing Tools (for summarizing or rewriting text) and Summarize Notifications (for hilarious synthesis of your incoming alerts). Those used Apple's own AI technology.

Now, Apple has integrated Open-AI's ChatGPT. Say "Hey Siri, what should I do in Miami with two kids?" and it will ask if you'd like ChatGPT to help. Tap Use ChatGPT, and it sends your query to OpenAI and returns a pretty solid answer. Siri always asks if you want to use ChatGPT -- unless you disable that in Settings.

Yet locating ChatGPT is like finding a secret passageway in a Scooby-Doo haunted mansion.

Say "Hey Siri, a meatball recipe," and Siri gives you web results. But say "Hey Siri, give me a meatball recipe" and ChatGPT reports for duty. These other phrases seem to work.

"Write me. . ." A poem, letter, social-media post, you name it. You can do this via Siri or highlight text anywhere, tap the Writing Tools pop-up, tap Compose, then type your writing prompt.

"Brainstorm. . ." Party ideas for a 40-year-old woman, presents for a 3-year-old, holiday card ideas. All work -- though I'll pass on the Hawaiian-themed bash.

"Ask ChatGPT to. . ." Explain why leaves fall in the autumn, list the top songs from 1984, come up with a believable excuse for skipping that 40-year-old woman's party.

Are you sending data to OpenAI? Apple says queries are anonymous unless you log into your ChatGPT account in Settings. If you're a ChatGPT Plus subscriber, it will remember your preferences and give you continuing access to the latest AI models. If you don't log in, you'll hit a limit of advanced-model queries, and you'll end up with more-basic answers. (Apple didn't disclose the limit. I sometimes hit the cap on days I didn't even use it at all.)

A new view

Remember that new iPhone 16 Camera Control button? Turns out, it wasn't just the product of bored Apple designers. With Visual Intelligence, you aim your camera at an object or place, long-press the button, and you can search for or ask questions about whatever's in view. You have three options:

Ask: Tap this, and ChatGPT steps in. I've asked it to estimate how many jelly beans were in a jar. (It guessed 80 to 100. I counted 106.) I've asked it how to cover a USB cable running along a wall. (Some good options.) I even asked how to solve a scrambled Rubik's Cube. (The cube is still winning.)

Search: Tap and it will search for similar images on Google. It's a parenting dream: "What kind of rock is that?" (Black obsidian, says Google.) "Can I get that toy for Hanukkah?" (It's $30 on Amazon.)

More: Some tricks tap into Apple's own AI. Point the camera at a sign in another language, and it'll translate. Hold it up to a restaurant, and you get reviews. Aim it at a web address, and it pulls up the link.

I preferred the ChatGPT and Google integrations, and was happy to have a convenient shortcut for accessing them, instead of digging into their apps.

Image factory

A sad-face browning banana swarmed by fruit flies? Finally, the perfect passive-aggressive emoji to remind your spouse it's banana-bread time.

Funmoji might have been a better name. While most companies are churning out generic AI art generators, Apple's idea -- to create the emojis you've always wanted -- is actually useful. Plus, it goes further: It can use photos to create cartoon versions of your friends on the fly.

The tool lives right in the emoji keyboard. While you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 to create them, you can send them as stickers to anyone.

To create higher-resolution images with more detail, turn to the Image Playground app. You can start with your photos of your friends, then customize them with dozens of preset costumes (astronaut, chef), accessories (bow tie, beret, glasses) and places (city, space, stage). You can type in your own prompts, too.

While you can craft plenty of fantabulous illustrations -- yes, Donald Trump on a flying golf cart in space -- there's no deepfake fear here. Images are cartoonish and exaggerated, and Genmoji people don't really resemble their real-life selves.

And Apple sets boundaries for questionable requests. I tried a Santa on Ozempic, Joe Biden smoking a joint, and my own emoji dressed as Hitler. All resulted in "Unable to use that description."

Is all this enough to make you run to the store for a brand-new iPhone? Probably not. But have you seen my emoji of a penguin doing tax fraud? At the very least, it'll make you the most popular person in your group chat." [1]

1. Apple's Latest Update Finally Integrates Key AI Features --- Genmojis, ChatGPT and more give the iPhone 16 a reason for being. By Joanna Stern. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 12 Dec 2024: A.12.