Apple is expected to debut the first generative AI iPhone at its September 9 event

By Ramishah Maruf, CNN

New York (CNN) — Apple has announced the date of its next major event, where the iPhone 16 is expected to launch.

On Monday, September 9 the tech giant is hosting a special event with the tag line “It’s Glowtime.” The event will take place at 10 am PT at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park and will be streamed online.

Though it’s not quite clear yet what “glowtime” is referring to, embedded artificial intelligence is expected to be a key feature of the latest iPhone.

In June, Apple announced a slew of generative AI features for the iPhone its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The company unveiled the first batch of tools powered by “Apple Intelligence,” from personalized Genmoji – Apple’s AI-generated emoji – to a significantly smarter Siri, which can answer questions about your schedule, what’s in your email and what time your loved one’s flight is landing.

Though iPhone 15 Pro Max users will likely be able to access at least some of the AI features, the upcoming iPhone 16 is expected to be the first device designed fully with AI in mind.

At the conference, Apple also announced a partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI, which is facing its own scrutiny and challenges.

Artificial intelligence has been integrated in some iPhone features for years now, such as Live Text and an improved autocorrect function over the original. But enhanced generative AI could build on those features aimed at enhancing interaction and personalization, potentially making a new iPhone the first specifically built with some of those features in mind.

Generative AI enables tools to create written work, images and even audio in response to prompts from users.

Apple’s segway into artificial intelligence would most likely be through Siri, the company’s virtual assistant, analysts said. Combining Siri with OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT-4o model could allow the assistant to recall a picture taken years ago, provide more specific information, and even possibly learn the user’s preferences and personality over time.

The launch could change Apple’s trajectory for the iPhone. iPhone sales in China have tumbled due to uncertain economic conditions and growing competition.

Apple’s competitors have already dipped into the generative AI space, such as Samsung’s “circle to search” feature, which allows users to quickly search for information on a device’s screen with a finger gesture.

CNN’s Samantha Kelly contributed to this report.

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