It seems Apple is going to introduce its users to new AI tools under development for free. Options to generate or modify text and images will soon appear under the name Apple Intelligence. Apple is not going to charge money for these for the first few years, according to reliable sources.
In Bloomberg’s PowerOn newsletter, Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans to keep Apple Intelligence free until 2027. Other analysts had expressed expectations that Apple would start charging $10 to $20 a month for Apple Intelligence.
Gurman is generally a very reliable source with regard to information from Apple. It is also certainly not inconceivable that Apple will opt for a free version. After all, AI is still in its infancy and they are perfectly capable of offering models that run locally on an iPhone or iPad for free as well. Once an AI task requires information from the cloud, it’s still not certain to what extent that will be free of charge.
ChatGPT also has a free version, and it is possible that it will be extended to Apple devices. After all, Apple finally opted for a big deal with OpenAI. However, it does seem certain that as AI features mature over the next few years, Apple will start charging money for it. In addition, right from the get-go, it would start offering the option to pair a paid OpenAI subscription with your iPhone so that you can have the best models.
Europe may have to wait longer
Finally, it is still not entirely clear when Apple Intelligence will become available in Europe. In the United States, Apple’s AI can get started this year, but there is still some uncertainty in Europe. Apple has indicated that it is busy talking with the European Commission about the impact of the AI Act and the Digital Markets Act. To what extent do these affect what Apple is allowed and able to offer in terms of AI. Once that is clear, Apple may also become more concrete in the availability of Apple Intelligence in Europe.