AppleInsider has the scoop on “Project Blackpearl,” which it says is the codename for improvements to Apple’s Mail app in iOS 18 and macOS 15. According to site information provided by “people familiar with with the subject”, the Mail application will benefit from important new AI features in Apple’s operating systems this fall.
Much of AppleInsider’s information lines up with previous rumors while adding a bit more detail.
The most important new feature would be “Smart Replies,” which will generate email replies for you. It comes with a framework of system-wide writing tools that developers can tap into. AppleInsider says that “the exact implementation of this new framework remains to be seen,” but that it could allow users to adjust their emails using AI. One example is to “make it more professional,” for example, by changing some of the language and tone to be more formal. Smart Replies should also appear in Messages and Siri.
The Mail app will also benefit from better organizational features, powered by AI. Search (along with Spotlight and Siri) will take into account other data on your iPhone or Mac such as location, contacts, calendar appointments, etc. The on-device AI will also classify messages into the following types: business, news, other, social, promotions and deals. It’s unclear whether these are categories that will appear in the Mail interface (via folders, flags, or tags) or if they will simply be used internally to help Siri understand different types of emails. emails.
Although it’s not part of the Mail app, Siri should have the ability to summarize all kinds of content on your iPhone or Mac, including notes, notifications, messages, and of course emails. AppleInsider’s sources indicate that Apple tested three different levels of synthesis:
- Topic-level summaries – consisting of three topic words, representing the key concepts of a text
- Summaries of 10 or 20 words, which use clauses rather than full sentences
- Paragraph-level summaries – concise three-sentence paragraph of no more than 60 words
The idea is that different levels of summaries would be used in different places. The AI functionality would be able to summarize both individual emails and threads.
We’re just a few days away from the start of WWDC 2024, where we’ll find out all about Apple’s big AI ambitions.
