Apple Postpones Implementation of New AI Features in EU Region at Present
Apple won't immediately roll out its freshly announced AI features in the EU due to doubts surrounding the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple's reluctance stems from concerns that the DMA's stipulation for granting access to other service providers and potential favoring of in-house offerings might threaten user data privacy.
At the heart of Apple's AI philosophy is allowing AI software deep access to user data on devices, enabling features like "Apple Intelligence" to help users with tasks such as confirming if they can attend a rescheduled appointment or organizing emails based on importance.
The EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) mandates that major platforms like Apple must make room for other providers and refrain from promoting their own services, except under specific circumstances like if it harms the "integrity" of the services. It's uncertain if the EU Commission would consider Apple's data security apprehensions as sufficient grounds for such an exception.
Several features showcased at Apple's latest developer conference, WWDC, will be impacted by this delay. For instance, "iPhone Mirroring" enables Mac computers to access an Apple Smartphone fully and lets users share screens with others.
Apple has been negotiating with the EU Commission to find a resolution and aims to offer these features in Europe as well. However, it seems unlikely to happen this year. Typically, Apple releases beta versions of new software during the summer, followed by a launch for all users in the fall along with a new iPhone generation.
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Apple's hesitation to implement AI functions in the EU is due to the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), which might impact user data privacy and favor in-house offerings. The DMA requires major platforms like Apple to make space for other providers and abstain from promoting their services excessively.
Apple is currently in discussions with the EU Commission to address the DMA's concerns and ensure compliance while preserving user privacy, with the goal of offering these features in the EU region in the future.
