Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 It’s packed with a lot of artificial intelligence-powered capabilities. The new mobile OS can rewrite your text messages, summarize emails and identify objects in photos. But one of the most fun features is Image Playground, which creates cartoon-like images based on text prompts.
Whereas Apple Apple has shown examples of its output during its keynote speeches, demos, and product videos, but so far we’ve yet to see a real-world example of what Image Playground has to offer. Apple has shared with WIRED the first example created by Image Playground that it has shown outside of its pre-recorded keynote speeches and marketing materials.
This photo of an adorable little dog wearing a party hat and smiling behind a birthday cake is no ordinary pup. Her name is Bailey, and she belongs to Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, who created this image for his wife in honor of Bailey’s recent birthday.
Federighi referenced this illustration during his interview with WIRED’s Lily Hay Newman Apple’s private cloud computeThe secure server environment the company built to handle AI task requests that can’t be processed on a consumer’s device. Apple representatives later shared this. WIRED’s policy is to clearly identify any AI-generated images we publish, so you see a watermark on the image.
Image Playground is launching at a time when generative AI tools are being incorporated into software from all major tech companies. Microsoft, GoogleAnd Meta has released AI-powered software that focuses on productivity and creativity. While Apple’s approach in iOS 18 also prioritizes the practical side of AI, the company has also included some purely fun apps – Image Playground is a prime example.
It exists as a stand-alone app, but you can also access it through Messages. To create an image, you can type a description of what you want to see, choose a photo of someone from your photo library, or select from some preloaded concepts. You can also choose from three styles: illustration, sketch, and animation. This feature is not to be confused with Zenmoji, which allows you to create custom emojis directly from the keyboard using text prompts.
Since none of these generative AI features are available in beta yet (though some other Apple Intelligence features are with the iOS 18.1 developer beta), the only examples of Image Playground and Gameoji’s output we’ve seen have been strictly controlled by Apple. Until the features are released, Federighi’s cute dog is the closest example that exists beyond heavily produced and edited marketing materials. And I’d say it’s a pretty good example, and certainly not as creepy as what we saw during the keynote wwdc.Good job, Craig.
Wired Lily Hay Newman contributed reporting to this story.
Update: Sept. 11, 2024, 7:33 p.m. EDT. This story was changed to add the name of Federighi’s dog.
