New personalization capabilities, writing tools and process automation features will be welcome additions for marketers. But some updates will introduce new challenges, too.
Today, Apple is rolling out Apple Intelligence, its highly anticipated suite of AI tools integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. The launch coincides with the debut of iOS 18.1. The raft of automated features included in the debut will present marketers with an array of new possibilities, experts say.
Unveiled at Apple’s annual developer conference in June, Apple Intelligence differentiates itself from other AI programs with a focus on personalizable applications – enabled by combining users’ personal data from Apple’s ecosystem with on-device small language models. User data is processed in a privacy-safe way – even Apple cannot access it, the company claims.
Unlike general-purpose AI systems such as ChatGPT, Apple Intelligence is context-driven and designed for task-oriented applications like personalized recommendations, predictive messaging and streamlined workflows across Apple devices.
With the rollout of iOS 18.1, compatible devices will be able to use a variety of new Apple Intelligence features, from writing and content creation to automated summaries. Marketers stand to gain improved personalization opportunities and improved personalization opportunities, creativity hacks and operational efficiencies.
Personalized possibilities abound
For marketers, Apple Intelligence’s potential for personalization may prove particularly appealing.
With Apple Intelligence, marketers will have access to aggregated data insights that maintain user-level privacy. And because Apple Intelligence analyzes user behavior, app usage and content preferences across the tech company’s ecosystem, marketers may gain valuable insights that go beyond traditional demographic data. This, in turn, could help them craft more targeted messages.
“Marketers will create content that feels more personalized as they use Apple Intelligence to fine-tune their reach across different segments,” predicts Eli Goodman, CEO and co-founder of clickstream data company Datos. “That kind of shift could lead to advertising and marketing campaigns that more genuinely resonate with audiences on a deeper level – and I’m talking more than just new creative emojis,” he says, in reference to Apple’s new ‘Genmoji’ feature, which enables users to develop custom emojis.
New Apple Intelligence offerings such as Writing Tools and Image Playground features for AI image generation – yet to debut – may be among the most effective personalization features, according to Jordan Mitchell, founder of Growth Stack Media, a content and comms agency. He believes these tools could help marketers with “more personalized customer communications and dynamic creative testing,” for instance.
Enhanced personalization could also come from more “innovative applications” of Apple Intelligence, Mitchell suggests, like contextual targeting, sophisticated A/B testing of messages and advancements in the creation of personalized visual content.
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Creativity, simplified
Apple Intelligence also includes tools to automate content creation, which may prove valuable for creatives as well as for marketers managing high-output campaigns.
The system’s Writing Tools, which are integrated into apps like Mail, Messages and Pages, can help teams spin up copy for email campaigns, social media posts and blogs – and also come with features to summarize, proofread and even adjust tone and style.
“Smart Writing Tools take the guesswork out of crafting the perfect email or caption, allowing marketers to tweak the tone and refine copy without losing valuable time,” says Jeremy Goldman, senior director of marketing, commerce and tech briefings at Emarketer. These tools may be especially effective for marketers in specific verticals. “For industries that thrive on rapid, polished communication, like consumer goods and finance,” Goldman says, “this means marketers can keep the quality high without slowing down.”
Photo features rolling out as part of Apple Intelligence also have the potential to streamline creative processes in small but impactful ways. The Clean Up feature, for instance, allows the removal of background objects or unwanted photobombers in an image – capabilities that Goldman says are “ideal for creating social posts that align with a brand’s aesthetic.”
Unlocking new operational efficiencies
In operational terms, Apple Intelligence is poised to improve efficiency for marketing teams with features like automated transcriptions, meeting summaries and prioritized notifications.
The ability to automate and streamline some tasks may enable marketers to reclaim lost time and focus on what matters most.
As Datos’ Goodman puts it: “There’s a lot of buzz about how [Apple Intelligence is] being marketed as a personal assistant, but savvy marketers will see more potential. With tighter budgets, marketing teams have to do more with less. Apple Intelligence could pick up some of those routine tasks that would normally take up time, giving marketers a real chance to get back to the creative side.” He goes so far as to say that he “wouldn’t be surprised if this shift clears the way for a kind of creative renaissance,” seeing as it could free marketers from attending to the minutiae of the daily grind and empower them to “think about new ways to reach people.”
Like Apple Intelligence’s automated transcriptions and meeting tools, Email and Notification Summaries may also boost operational efficiencies for marketing teams. Summaries provide users with topline takeaways of email messages and app notifications on the home screen. These will add “much-needed focus to inboxes and notifications, letting marketers quickly scan high-priority messages without wading through every ‘ASAP’ request,” Emarketer’s Goldman says. He expects these tools to prove useful for professionals in sectors like travel and ecommerce, “where time-sensitive updates are constant.”
Plus, Apple Intelligence’s Smart Reply and categorized inbox features may also improve efficiency in high-volume email marketing campaigns, allowing quick responses and more targeted engagement.
Mapping the potential obstacles for marketers
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for marketers – some Apple Intelligence features could actually deter audience engagement with brand messages.
AI-powered Email Summaries, for example, have the potential to negatively impact engagement metrics in email marketing. The previews may lead to decreased open rates, with users consuming the concise updates without clicking through to full messages. As adoption of Apple Intelligence grows, marketers may need to scrutinize their email strategies more carefully, optimizing subject lines and introductory text to ensure content captures user attention.
Notification Summaries present the same problem. Automated recaps may reduce the impetus to expand notifications individually. As a result, marketers will need to get creative. As Gartner vice-president and analyst Nicole Greene puts it: “How will brands look to engage with customers in this space by earning a place in the summary and showcasing their brand differentiation in a way that drives response?”
Greene also points to Apple Intelligence’s new Focus features, like Reduce Interruptions, which filters notifications based on importance in an effort to cut out noise and help users mitigate distractions. For brands to make it through this filter, “they’ll need to have more relevant messages that make customers want to engage,” Greene says.
Moreover, new enhancements to Siri may also create a ripple effect in the world of marketing. Siri’s updated capabilities, such as context retention across multiple requests and multimodal interactions, may change the way consumers engage with brands via voice search. With a focus on personalization and device-specific prompts, Siri could potentially eat into online search, as other AI programs like ChatGPT and Perplexity are already doing. Marketing teams may now face pressure to optimize content for voice search, ensuring that their products or services remain easily accessible through Siri-driven queries and recommendations.
For marketers keen to take advantage of Apple Intelligence, “success may not come quickly at first,” warns Pat LaCroix, executive vice-president of marketing and strategic partnerships at enterprise AI platform Seekr. “Marketers will need to accelerate their AI literacy, consider brand safety and suitability implications, and rethink core capabilities – such as how to position and distribute their brand for voice search as Siri becomes more sophisticated.”
Privacy plus personalization could be a winning strategy
Apple’s late entry into the generative AI market contrasts sharply with the approaches of other leaders in the field like Google, OpenAI and Meta, all of which are actively shaping AI’s role in consumer engagement. Google’s Gemini, already integrated into Android devices, focuses on both search and voice-based assistance, while Meta’s AI approach spans chatbots for creators and embedded AI in smart hardware.
Nevertheless, Apple’s tightly controlled ecosystem and data privacy commitments may give it an edge that aligns with consumer expectations. In an environment where users’ privacy and trust are increasingly vital, Apple Intelligence could set a new standard.
“Phones carry some of the most sensitive, personal data a consumer has and they have a right to be wary of what tools access this information,” says David McInerney, commercial manager of data privacy at consent management platform Cassie. “Apple knows this and they are building transparency into their practices, clearly trying to differentiate themselves as the go-to AI assistant.”
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While Apple Intelligence’s eye toward data privacy, combined with new possibilities for personalized experiences, may gain favor among both users and marketers, the tools aren’t likely to substantially upend marketing quite yet. But, on the whole, the forecast is positive.
“Today’s features, in isolation, are not groundbreaking compared to other Gen AI tools on the market,” says Seekr’s LaCroix. “What will be a game changer is how these tools and capabilities [are applied to] enable more efficient targeting and content creation to reach one of the world’s most valuable audiences.”
Emarketer’s Goldman shares this view. “It’s early days, but these AI tools provide a glimpse into how Apple could make a difference for marketing teams that run on iOS.”
Apple Intelligence is available in the US on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Users must set the device and Siri to English language to access the tools today. In the EU, Apple Intelligence is not yet accessible on iPhone or iPad, but is available through macOS Sequoia 15.1 on compatible Mac models.
Additional Apple Intelligence features – including image generation, system-wide ChatGPT integration and more advanced writing tools – are expected in December.
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