Today's 'magic' ChatGPT reveal may mean big things for iPhone 16 and iOS 18
Artificial intelligence figureheads OpenAI are poised to reveal new updates to its GPT-4 model and its popular chatbot ChatGPT later today.
While the expected showcase will present feature demos and software improvements for the popular large language model (LLM), a separate report indicates that whatever is announced today could have a big impact on the upcoming iPhone — with Apple allegedly close to striking a deal with the company to bring ChatGPT tech to the iPhone 16 and iOS 18.
Having been caught on the back foot with AI's popularity explosion in recent years, Apple is dedicated to bringing its various software platforms up to speed and taking full advantage of the NPU-touting chipsets inside of hardware like its MacBook, iPad, and iPhone.
The company's CEO Tim Cook has already promised that "Transformative opportunities" through AI features are on their way this year, and as a deal between Apple and OpenAI could see
OpenAI announcement: What to expect and how to watch
While we don't know exactly what OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman are preparing to reveal during today's live stream, we do know that we're likely to be shown demos of new features heading to the AI platform and get clued in on any updates to the chatbot's GPT-4 model.
There's not a lot of information to go on, but we do know what won't be making an appearance during today's event. According to a post shared to X by Altman, the upcoming event won't be used to reveal the highly-anticipated GPT-5 model, and nor will it be used to launch a new AI-powered search engine — both of which being projects OpenAI are said to be working on at present.
However, Altman claims that while neither will feature at today's event, what OpenAI does have to show feels like "Magic."
While much of the talk around today's event seems angled towards ChatGPT, it's possible that we may hear news about public availability for sister-software like Sora, the text-to-video AI or OpenAI's text-to-speech model Voice Engine.
Beyond this, we'll need to wait and see what the San Francisco-based company has in store when it's live-streamed event takes place later today.
Those interested can watch the event live at the OpenAI homepage later today, taking place at 10 a.m. PT, 1 p.m. ET, or 6 p.m. GMT.
Apple + ChatGPT = A Siri-ous upgrade
As recently shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple has "closed in" on an agreement with OpenAI to bring the Microsoft-backed startup's impressive AI tech to iPhone and iOS 18.
Seemingly, other platforms like the MacBook with macOS 15 or iPad with iPadOS 18 aren't involved in this deal, which could position the upcoming iPhone 16 as the tip of the spear for Apple when it comes to penetrating the AI market.
It's reported that Siri will be the prime candidate for an AI upgrade, with Apple seeking to give its digital assistant a complete overhaul befitting of the AI era.
It's unsure how many of OpenAI's models could be involved in the deal, however, it's suggested that ChatGPT will be one of the primary adoptions, one that could see the LLM rebranded on iPhone handsets as a locally-running Siri 2.0 of sorts.
Outlook
Today's OpenAI live stream will introduce us to the latest ChatGPT features and updates, many of which could make their way to iPhone 16 via iOS 18, potentially via an AI-overhauled Siri if the deal with Apple goes ahead.
However, even if this deal isn't something that pans out, the suggestion from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that what they have to show off "feels like magic" is more than a compelling enough reason to tune in and check out where the world's most popular chatbot is heading next.
