Apple officially announced the scheduled event for unveiling the newest iPhones. The iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be available on September 9, 2024.

Even before the official Apple Event, rumors of new software, hardware, and generative AI features already promise huge possibilities. For instance, third-party iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max case reveal that the Action Button from the iPhone 15 Pro models will likely remain. The most exciting part is it’s coming to the standard and Plus variants as well, since all iPhone 16 models are to support the latest chip and Apple Intelligence.

This led us to reminisce about what we witnessed during the 2024 Made by Google Event, which kicked off the “Gemini era.” In this article, we’ll understand what generative AI really is and compare its integrations on the latest Apple and Android phones.

What Is Generative AI?

Generative AI is a class of artificial intelligence models designed to create new content or data based on patterns and information they’ve learned from existing datasets. Unlike traditional AI, which often focuses on recognizing patterns or classifying data, generative AI is about generating novel outputs that mimic the structure and style of the input data.

Its most common key applications include:

• Text and Image Generation
• Music Composition
• Voice Synthesis
• Synthetic Data Generation
• Personalized Recommendation
• Customized Interactions

Generally, generative AI streamlines tasks or processes in various fields for what people really need: convenience. From entertainment and media to healthcare and research, generative AI transforms the digital world.

Apple Intelligence

Apple’s approach to AI was deemed “smaller” compared to Google’s “black box” approach. We have yet to see the latest AI capabilities in its upcoming iPhone 16 line set, which will be revealed on September 9, 2024.

Apple Intelligence uses AI and machine learning in several impactful ways, such as:

• Enhancing photo editing and applying real-time effects to videos
• Improving Siri’s contextual understanding and providing personalized suggestions
• Generating smart replies, drafting messages, and offering better language translation
• Creating unique artistic filters and enhancing music and sound
• Customizing home screen layouts and adapting the interface based on user behavior
• Enhancing Face ID accuracy and providing advanced privacy management
• Optimizing resource management for better performance and battery life

These features aim to make the iPhone 16 more intuitive, personalized, and efficient. Let’s compare it to Google’s latest Gemini AI.

Google’s Gemini AI

At the 2024 Google events, some exciting advancements were made in Gemini AI, Google’s most advanced AI system yet. Here are a few key highlights.

Gemini AI is built to understand and work with multiple types of data, including text, audio, images, and video, allowing it to handle complex tasks like reasoning in subjects such as math and science. This multimodal ability helps it outperform existing models on 30 out of 32 major benchmarks in AI research.

Its different suites or versions include the following:

• Gemini Ultra (for highly complex tasks)
• Gemini Pro (more adaptable to a wider range of activities)
• Gemini Nano (a lightweight version optimized for mobile and on-device use)

At the Google I/O event last August, we found that Gemini AI was integrated into Google Search and Google Workspace as well. This adds AI-powered features like context-aware suggestions and AI overviews for more efficient research and document handling.

Gemini achieved groundbreaking performance, surpassing human experts on the MMLU test (a large-scale multitask benchmark). It can handle tasks like image recognition and reasoning without relying on external systems like Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

With versions like Gemini 1.5 Pro, which has long-context processing capabilities, and Gemini 1.5 Flash, optimized for low-latency tasks, Google is providing developers global access to powerful AI tools, significantly enhancing app and platform development​.

These features demonstrate Gemini’s broad potential for transforming everything from research to everyday productivity.

Apple Intelligence vs. Google Gemini AI

There were rumors that Apple would integrate Gemini AI into its iPhone 16 series, which is an interesting prospect. Factoring that out for now, here’s a comparison of the core functionalities of Google’s Gemini AI on the Pixel 9 series and Apple’s Apple Intelligence in the upcoming iPhone 16.

1. Multimodal Capabilities

Google Gemini (Pixel 9 Series) Multimodal Processing: Process and integrate text, images, video, and audio simultaneously, multimedia content generation, image recognition, real-time reasoningAdvanced AI Assistant: Context-aware assistant, real-time translations, voice commands, and text predictions​.

Apple Intelligence (iPhone 16)   Visual and Voice Integration: Siri’s voice commands and AI-generated photo and video enhancements, real-time filters and effects, text-generation capabilities for messaging, may lack the full multimodal support of Gemini.Image and Video Enhancements: AI for improved photography, automatic editing and cinematic video enhancements​

2. Personalization and Context Awareness

Google Gemini (Pixel 9 Series) Deep Contextual Understanding: Personalized responses, content suggestions across apps and services, Google Workspace integrations, auto-generate summaries, reply suggestionsAdaptive Learning: Personalized home screen layouts, app suggestions, smart text input, photo organization, app usage prediction​

Apple Intelligence (iPhone 16)   Visual and Voice Integration: Siri’s voice commands and AI-generated photo and video enhancements, real-time filters and effects, text-generation capabilities for messaging, may lack the full multimodal support of Gemini.Image and Video Enhancements: AI for improved photography, automatic editing and cinematic video enhancements​

3. Generative Text and Content Creation

Google Gemini (Pixel 9 Series) AI-Generated Summaries and Documents: Generating detailed, research-quality content, creating summaries, and assisting with professional document creation through Google Docs, more advanced content recommendations through Search​

Apple Intelligence (iPhone 16)   Text Generation for Messaging: Apple’s generative text tools like drafting messages, smart replies, iMessage and Mail text suggestions, basic content recommendations via Siri

4. Search and Information Retrieval

Google Gemini (Pixel 9 Series) AI-Enhanced Search: More precise, detailed, and context-aware Google Search, AI Overviews that summarize complex topics, improving research and query handling​

Apple Intelligence (iPhone 16)   Spotlight Search: Improved Spotlight search with AI, may not match the detailed AI-powered overviews or research capabilities seen with Gemini’s integration in Google Search

5. Developer and Ecosystem Integration

Google Gemini (Pixel 9 Series) Wide Developer Access: Global adoption, third-party app integrations, and a more expansive AI ecosystem​

Apple Intelligence (iPhone 16)   Closed Ecosystem: Apple’s AI is primarily limited to its own apps and services, with less third-party integration.

Market Impact and Future Outlook

The future of Gemini AI will likely expand multimodal AI, making it even more capable in research, content generation, and device integration across Android. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to further enhance creative tools and focus on on-device AI, improving real-time personalization and privacy-driven features across its ecosystem.

For more years, both companies will push AI capabilities further, driving innovation and shaping the future of consumer technology.

Wrap Up

AI advancements from Google and Apple are reshaping how users interact with their devices. Google’s Gemini AI appeals to productivity-focused users, offering advanced multitasking across text, audio, and visuals, while Apple Intelligence emphasizes seamless content creation and personalization. These innovations influence purchasing choices, with consumers gravitating toward devices that better meet their AI needs, whether for work, creativity, or daily tasks.