Apple is purposefully hindering Apple Intelligence, and for good reason

With the release of Apple Intelligence fast approaching, AI features will be brought to the forefront of the iPhone experience. Users will be able to try out all sorts of new features, like Clean Up, which can quickly remove objects from images. But, Apple is being cautious about what AI image editing tools it creates and implements.

In a sit-down interview with The Wall Street Journal, Apple software Chief Craig Federighi said that the Cupertino-based company is “concerned” about AI’s effect on images and how people perceive them.

Federighi emphasized that Apple’s devices are used by a lot of people, and that “It’s important to us that we help purvey accurate information, and not fantasy.” Speaking about Apple Intelligence’s Clean Up feature, Federighi said “there were a lot of debates internally” about implementing the feature.

Ultimately, Federighi said Apple decided to implement the feature and that “the demand for people to want to clean up what seem like extraneous details to the photo that don’t fundamentally change the meaning of what happened, has been very, very, high.”

As noted by the Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern, Apple’s approach to its AI image editing tool is much tamer than what Google’s and Samsung’s AI image editing tools can do. For example, Google’s Reimagine feature lets users add AI-generated assets to photos, such as cars, lions, balloons, virtually anything you can think of.

Apple’s concern here is valid

Photos are meant to capture a moment in reality — it’s difficult to ever get them perfect

I think Apple’s decision-making here with its AI cleanup tool is the right one, and I’m glad it had a debate and dialogue about the effects AI can have on people’s trust and perception of photographs. Currently, Apple Intelligence doesn’t allow users to add AI-generated assets or manipulations to images like Google or Samsung do, and honestly, I hope it stays that way.

With Clean Up, Apple has taken the right approach. It lets users clean up imperfections in an image, such as something as trivial as removing a water bottle, and the feature doesn’t too heavily impact the moment of reality the photo has captured. Plus, any images that are edited with Apple Intelligence’s Clean Up feature will be tagged in the photos app with “Modified with Clean Up” and its metadata will be embedded to flag the photo as being altered.

AI is rapidly changing how we view the world around us, and I’m glad Apple is being cautious with its approach to implementing it, and taking the time to get it right.

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