When Apple didn’t go hard on AI at WWDC, I let out a sigh of relief – here's why

I’ve been covering artificial intelligence, or at least topics that touch upon it, for most of my technology journalism career, and long before generative AI was something the public could just access with relative ease. But like it or lump it, AI is very much the buzz of the moment in and beyond the technology world. So it was surprising that at WWDC 2025, Apple kind of played down the subject.

Sure, Apple Intelligence was present and would appear to be more integrated into Cupertino’s various software platforms than it was previously. But many of these features appear to augment existing tools rather than create all-new ones; AI can figure out the regular routes you take in the iOS 26 Maps app, for example.

I’d also argue that Apple added smart features, such as Live Translation in the Messages and FaceTime apps, almost as a way to keep up with Google’s and Samsung’s AI efforts in their flagship smartphones, rather than lead the way or hone existing tech into something special.

Instead, Apple played up the redesign of iOS, macOS, and more with the use of its ‘Liquid Glass’ material design. And Apple Intelligence appeared to take a backseat; as my colleague Matt Bolton pointed out, Siri was properly absent from WWDC and indicative of failure for the virtual assistant.

Now I won’t argue against Mr Bolton, as he raises some good points, but I’m also low-key grateful AI didn’t dominate WWDC.

User experience first, AI smarts second

I’ve always felt that Apple’s strength comes from its user experience. As locked down as some of Cupertino's software can be, and the walled garden approach to its ecosystem, once you’re in said garden, everything does work really rather well. From easy, secure payments and authentication, to quick file transfer between Apple devices and users, and much more.

As an aside, I’ve argued before that I want AI to be used for genuinely transformational things that benefit society, not generate images of a dog on the moon or write my emails for me. I reckon humanity is better off going through the challenges of learning how to better string sentences together or wait to frame the perfect camera shot, than let AI do everything for them, as that could take us down a dark path (check out Black Mirror on Netflix).

Bringing things back to Apple and WWDC, I feel that a redesign and the neat addition of useful features to iOS and macOS will resonate more with Apple device users than some smart AI tools that could feel a little bolted on to a core phone or laptop experience.

As a user of the iPhone 16 Pro Max and a MacBook Air M2, I have access to several Apple Intelligence tools. But aside from a bit of sporadic flirtation with them and the occasional nod of appreciation towards AI-generated summaries of voicemails, Apple Intelligence hasn’t come close to changing the way I use my iPhone.

I’ve said in the past that I find the recent iPhones to be boring but brilliant; they lack the do-anything vibe of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or the intriguing AI-lead experience of the Google Pixel 9 family, but simply serve as smartphones that get stuff done quickly and well.

I treat my iPhone as a tool rather than a gadget, which doesn't make it exciting but does make it one of the best phones I’ve used, as there’s precious little getting in my way or distracting me from doing what I need to do.

I think many other Apple users share the same mindset. There’s been a huge amount of people who’ve checked out our how to download the iOS 26 developer beta article, which to me shows there’s a big interest in the Liquid Glass redesign.

Furthermore, in an article I wrote about wanting Samsung to add more AI into its next-generation foldable phone to truly make them more effective, one commenter said they don't find AI on phones to be useful at all and wants options to turn off such tools.

So while tech luminaries wax lyrical about AI and some people use it to do a lot of things for them, I get the feeling others would just prefer to have tech that does indeed ‘just works’ with each improvement, incremental or otherwise, being about users, not technological expertise.

As such, I think Apple may have been smart to focus WWDC more on visual and slick functional changes to its core software than on putting AI in the limelight. After all, I still feel AI hasn’t become sufficiently foolproof and accurate to make it a must-have right now.

I think, as it stands, if you are after an AI phone, then the best Google Pixel phones are the ones to look at, given they are built from the hardware up to be all about AI. And Google’s phones have always been the devices to push more esoteric features, be that the radar sensors in the Pixel 4 phones or the AI focus of the past few generations of Pixels.

In contrast, I’ve always seen Apple as the brand that fully embraces emergent technology only when it has reached a point of maturity and consumer understanding.

Given the rocky launch of Apple Intelligence, AI still being for enthusiasts than everyone (albeit that could be changing rapidly), and how iOS and macOS are finely curated platforms, I think eschewing AI at this year’s WWDC will prove to have been the smart move for Apple, even if various tech commentators and analysts see it as being behind the curve. Now onwards to the iPhone 17…

Do you want more AI in iPhones? Let me know in the comments below.

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