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.

Kinija atsimušinėja, nes JAV prekybos karas staigiai iškyla --- Veiksmai prieš Nvidia, svarbūs mineralai, dronai signalizuoja apie daugybę atsakomųjų priemonių

 „Per pirmąją Donaldo Trumpo administraciją Kinija sužinojo, kad ji negali prilygti daug didesnės JAV ekonomikos dydžiui, kai kalbama apie tarifus, ir rado kitų būdų, kaip pabandyti sukelti skausmą – dažnai skolindamasi iš Trumpo metodų.

 

 Dabar, artėjant antrajai D. Trumpo kadencijai, Pekinas demonstruoja išplėstą atsakomųjų priemonių arsenalą, kurio, greičiausiai, imsis, nes išrinktasis prezidentas grasina taikyti net 60% muitus ir rinkliavas, Kinijoje pagamintoms, prekėms.

 

 Pekinas neseniai pradėjo JAV puslaidininkių čempionės „Nvidia“ reguliavimo tyrimą, pagrasino įtraukti garsų Amerikos drabužių gamintoją į juodąjį sąrašą, blokavo svarbiausių mineralų eksportą į JAV ir suspaudė bepiločių orlaivių tiekimo grandinę, siūlydama užuominų, kaip gali dominuoti netarifinės priemonės Kinijos įrankių rinkinyje.

 

 Kadangi JAV perka daug daugiau iš Kinijos, nei atvirkščiai – maždaug tris kartus daugiau – Pekinas negali grąžinti dolerio už dolerį, kai kalbama apie tarifus. Taip darant, taip pat kiltų pavojus, kad Kinijos ekonomika dar labiau paaštrins daugybę jos bėdų.

 

 Vietoj to, kaip ir bet kurioje kovoje su didesniu priešu, verta rasti unikalių svertų taškų, kuriuos būtų galima išnaudoti – daugelis pastangų sukelti skausmą JAV kyla iš paties Vašingtono strategijų.

 

 Pirmadienį Kinijos rinkos reguliavimo institucijos paskelbė apie antimonopolinį tyrimą dėl Nvidia, praėjus maždaug savaitei po to, kai Bideno administracija sugriežtino Kinijos prieigos prie aukščiausios klasės puslaidininkių apribojimus. Pekinas teigia, kad Kalifornijoje įsikūrusi mikroschemų milžinė galėjo pažeisti sąlyginio patvirtinimo, kurį 2020 m. gavo iš Pekino dėl Izraelio tinklų įmonės įsigijimo, sąlygas.

 

 Reguliavimo tyrimo laikas – praėjus beveik penkeriems metams po sandorio sudarymo – ir didelio atgarsio taikinys – JAV technologijų pirmūnė, esanti technologinių naujovių priešakyje – pabrėžia Pekino pasiryžimą naudoti teisines priemones, kad būtų nusitaikius net į didžiausias JAV sunkiasvores.

 

 Ši strategija pirmą kartą buvo pritaikyta pirmosios Trumpo administracijos metu, sakė Pietų Kalifornijos universiteto teisės profesorė Angela Zhang. Ji atkreipė dėmesį į tai, kad Kinija nesuteikė pritarimo siūlomam Qualcomm ir NXP Semiconductors susijungimui 2018 m., pačiame pradinio JAV ir Kinijos prekybos karo įkarštyje, o tai faktiškai pavertė sandorį derybų dėl prekybos objektu. Paktas niekada negavo Kinijos pritarimo ir žlugo.

 

 Tokiu atveju Kinijos svertas gaunamas iš galios, kurią ji turi, kad kruopščiai tikrinti pasaulinius susijungimus – net ir sandoriams, kurie neatrodo glaudžiai susiję su šalimi.

 

 Kinijos reguliavimo institucijos nepasakė, ką „Nvidia“ galėjo padaryti ne taip, ir nepaaiškino, kodėl taip ilgai po sąlyginio patvirtinimo ji iškėlė šį klausimą, tačiau pramonės stebėtojai beveik neabejoja jos išsiųsta žinute apie Kinijos norą smogti JAV.

 

 Pekinas turi būti atsargus ir nepersistengti, kai jis vis dar aktyviai ieško užsienio investicijų. Verslo su tam tikrais JAV subjektais trukdymas arba atsisakymas vykdyti verslą gali paskatinti Vašingtoną ir užsienio įmones rasti alternatyvų, kurios galėtų susilpninti ilgalaikę Pekino padėtį.

 

 Šis atsargumas matomas Kinijos pastangose ​​sudaryti „nepatikimų subjektų sąrašą“, kurį sudarytų užsienio įmonės, organizacijos ir asmenys, kurie susidurtų su papildomomis kliūtimis verslui su šalimi. Šis žingsnis, pirmą kartą paskelbtas 2019 m., buvo pasiskolintas iš veiksmų, kurių JAV prekybos departamentas ėmėsi prieš Kinijos telekomunikacijų milžinę „Huawei Technologies“ ir su ja susijusias įmones, reikalaudamas tiekėjų įsigyti licencijas, prieš pradėdant verslą su „subjektų sąraše“ esančiais asmenimis.

 

 Tačiau Kinijos sąrašas liko tuščias iki 2023 m. pradžios, kai, JAV kariškiams numušus įtariamą Kinijos šnipų oro balioną, Pekinas nurodė du JAV gynybos rangovus, kaip nepatikimus subjektus.

 

 Miglotumas yra pagrindinė Kinijos nepatikimų subjektų sąrašo savybė. Nėra laiko apribojimo, kiek laiko subjektas gali likti ten, o įtraukimo ir pašalinimo kriterijai yra daug neaiškesni, nei JAV versija. Tačiau dėl tokių neaiškumų jis neabejotinai tampa veiksmingesnis, todėl Pekinas turi platų spaudimą JAV.

 

 Be teisinių manevrų, Kinija kreipiasi į kitus asimetrinės jėgos šaltinius, kad galėtų atsispirti JAV, pavyzdžiui, savo pranašumą bepiločių orlaivių tiekimo grandinėje ir tam tikrų svarbių mineralų, kurie vaidina pagrindinį vaidmenį puslaidininkiuose, baterijose ir gynybos įrangoje, gamybą.

 

 Praėjusią savaitę Pekinas pareiškė, kad iš esmės uždraus galio, germanio ir stibio eksportą į JAV ir atliks griežtesnes grafito pardavimo peržiūras. Kinija pradėjo dominuoti įvairių mineralų gamyboje, iš dalies dėl jos aukščiausios kokybės technologijų ir mažų veiklos sąnaudų. Kol Vašingtonas ir sąjungininkai sunkiai stengėsi padidinti svarbiausių naudingųjų iškasenų gavybą ir perdirbimą, Vakarų įmonės beviltiškai konkuravo su Kinijos kainomis, o Pekino kontrolė daugelyje strateginių naudingųjų iškasenų išaugo.

 

 Kalbant apie galį, minkštą sidabrinį metalą, naudojamą lustams, Kinija pagamina apie 98 % mažo grynumo šio mineralo formų. Prieš Kinijai įvedant draudimą, JAV geologijos tarnybos paskelbtas tyrimas parodė, kad visiškas Kinijos galio ir germanio eksporto apribojimas gali sumažinti JAV ekonomikos produkciją 3,4 mlrd. dolerių.

 

 Tokios atsakomosios priemonės, nors ir gali būti skausmingos Vašingtonui, atneša mažėjančią grąžą. Ankstesni Kinijos apribojimai kai kuriems iš šių mineralų į JAV reiškė, kad eksporto apimtys smuko, o praėjusios savaitės pranešimo poveikis tapo „daugiausia simboliniu, o ne praktišku“, teigė Vašingtone įsikūrusi Strateginių ir tarptautinių studijų centras.

 

 Viena sritis, kurioje Kinija išnaudoja savo pranašumą, yra masinės rinkos dronai, kur ji yra didžiausia žaidėja pasaulyje. Kitų šalių, įskaitant Ukrainą, pastangos susiduria su iššūkiais, perkant baterijas, fotoaparatus ir elektros variklius, kurių tiekimo grandinės eina per Kiniją. Pekinas paskelbė sankcijas daugiau, nei dešimčiai, JAV bepiločių orlaivių technologijų įmonių, įskaitant kai kurias, tiekiančias bepiločius orlaivius Ukrainai." [1]

1. World News: China Hits Back as U.S. Trade War Looms --- Moves on Nvidia, critical minerals, drones signal array of retaliatory measures. Feng, Rebecca; Somerville, Heather; Emont, Jon.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 12 Dec 2024: A.9.

China Hits Back as U.S. Trade War Looms --- Moves on Nvidia, critical minerals, drones signal array of retaliatory measures

 

"During Donald Trump's first administration, China learned that it couldn't match the much larger U.S. economy's tit-for-tat when it came to tariffs, and found other ways to try to inflict pain -- often by borrowing from his playbook.

Now, as Trump's second term approaches, Beijing is brandishing an expanded arsenal of countermeasures that it is likely to draw upon as the president-elect threatens across-the-board tariffs and levies of as high as 60% on Chinese-made goods.

Beijing recently launched a regulatory probe into U.S. semiconductor champion Nvidia, threatened to blacklist a prominent American apparel maker, blocked the export of critical minerals to the U.S. and squeezed the supply chain for drones, offering clues into how non-tariff measures are likely to dominate China's tool kit.

Because the U.S. buys so much more from China than the other way around -- roughly three times as much -- Beijing can't hit back dollar for dollar when it comes to tariffs. Doing so would also risk exacerbating the myriad woes in China's economy.

Instead, as with any fight against a larger foe, it pays to find unique points of leverage to exploit -- with many of its efforts to inflict pain on the U.S. coming from Washington's own strategies.

On Monday, Chinese market regulators announced an antitrust investigation into Nvidia, roughly a week after the Biden administration stepped up restrictions on China's access to high-end semiconductors. Beijing says the California-based chip giant might have violated the terms of a conditional approval it received from Beijing in 2020 for its acquisition of an Israeli networking firm.

The timing of the regulatory investigation -- nearly five years after the deal took place -- and the high-profile target -- a U.S. technology juggernaut at the forefront of technological innovation -- underscores Beijing's willingness to use legal tools to target even the biggest U.S. heavyweights.

The strategy was first employed during the first Trump administration, said Angela Zhang, a law professor at the University of Southern California. She pointed to China's withholding of approval for a proposed merger between Qualcomm and NXP Semiconductors in 2018, at the height of the initial U.S.-China trade war -- effectively turning the deal into a bargaining chip in trade talks. The pact never won China's approval and collapsed.

In that case, China's leverage comes from the power it has to scrutinize global mergers -- even for deals that don't seem closely related to the country.

Chinese regulators didn't say what Nvidia might have done wrong or explain why it was raising the issue so long after their conditional approval, but industry watchers have little doubt about the message it sent about China's willingness to hit back at the U.S.

Beijing must be careful not to overreach when it is still actively seeking foreign investment. Obstructing or refusing to do business with certain U.S. entities could prompt Washington and foreign businesses to find alternatives that could weaken Beijing's longer-term position.

That cautiousness can be seen in China's efforts to set up an "unreliable entity list" composed of foreign companies, organizations and individuals that would face extra hurdles in doing business with the country. The move, first announced in 2019, borrowed from actions that the U.S. Commerce Department had taken against Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies and its affiliates, requiring suppliers to procure licenses before doing business with those on the "entity list."

China's list, however, remained empty until early 2023, when Beijing designated two U.S. defense contractors as unreliable entities after the U.S. military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

Murkiness is a key feature of China's unreliable entity list. There is no time limit on how long an entity can remain there, and criteria for inclusion and removal are far vaguer than the U.S. version. But such uncertainties arguably make it more effective, giving Beijing wide latitude to exert pressure on the U.S.

Beyond legal maneuvers, China is turning to other sources of asymmetric strength to strike back at the U.S., such as its advantage in the supply chain for drones and the production of certain critical minerals that play a key role in semiconductors, batteries and defense equipment.

Last week, Beijing said it would in principle ban the export of gallium, germanium and antimony to the U.S., and conduct stricter reviews on graphite sales. China has come to dominate the production of an array of minerals, owing in part to superior technology and low operating costs. While Washington and allies have pushed to increase mining and processing of critical minerals, Western companies have struggled to compete with Chinese prices, and Beijing's control over many strategic minerals has grown.

In the case of gallium, a soft silvery metal used in chips, China produces about 98% of low-purity forms of the mineral. Before China's ban, a study published by the U.S. Geological Survey found that a total restriction of China's gallium and germanium exports could reduce U.S. economic output by $3.4 billion.

Such countermeasures, while potentially painful for Washington, bring diminishing returns. Earlier Chinese restrictions on some of these minerals to the U.S. meant that export volumes plunged, rendering the impact of last week's announcement "largely symbolic rather than practical," said the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.

One area where China is pressing its advantage is in mass-market drones, where it is the world's biggest player. Efforts by other countries, including Ukraine, face challenges in procuring batteries, cameras and electric motors, whose supply chains run through China. Beijing has announced sanctions against more than a dozen U.S. drone-technology firms, including some that supply drones to Ukraine." [1]

1. World News: China Hits Back as U.S. Trade War Looms --- Moves on Nvidia, critical minerals, drones signal array of retaliatory measures. Feng, Rebecca; Somerville, Heather; Emont, Jon.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 12 Dec 2024: A.9.