Apple may introduce an AI-powered Smart Replies feature to its native Mail app, according to a report. The Smart Reply feature will be able to use artificial intelligence (AI) to instantly generate replies to emails in your inbox. The tech giant is reported to be unveiling the feature at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 scheduled for June 10. Siri is also said to be equipped with a smart replies feature, which would allow her to generate messages and reply to emails on behalf of the user. These AI-driven upgrades are reportedly being developed by Apple’s BlackPearl project.
Apple will add AI-powered features to the Mail app
According to a report from AppleInsider, the Mail app is set for a major upgrade. Citing people familiar with the matter, it claims the smart replies feature will be able to generate email replies and help users respond to emails quickly. It is also said to be able to change the tonality of the response. For example, users may request that the response be more professional, conversational, or friendly.
The report claims that the pre-release version of Apple’s upcoming operating systems also showed more upgrades for the Mail app. The app’s search results were seen to include data from contacts, locations and documents on the device. This reportedly adds more nuanced search functionality to the Mail app. These features are said to be powered by the Ajax Large Language Model (LLM), Apple’s AI model on a yet-to-be-announced device.
Furthermore, the Mail app could categorize emails based on their text, the report claims. This could mean that Apple will equip the Mail app with machine learning technology to analyze emails. The report noted that the app could classify emails into one of six pre-defined lists between commerce, news, other, promotions, social and transactions.
This may be useful for those who receive a large number of emails. Official email accounts of organizations can also benefit from it. Additionally, the report claims that Smart Replies and email categorization features will also be added to Siri. While the use case for the latter is difficult to assess, the former will allow users to verbally respond to emails with AI-generated content.
Apart from these, a previous report pointed out that Apple might add AI features to Siri, Photos app, Notes app and more.
