Apple Unveils Privacy-Focused AI Training System Using Synthetic Data

The new system, set for beta release in iOS 18.5, macOS 15.5, and iPadOS 18.5, combines synthetic data with on-device analysis to improve AI features while preserving user privacy.

Apple's new AI training system uses synthetic email data compared with on-device embeddings of recent user emails to enhance features like email summarization and writing tools.
The system ensures user privacy by employing differential privacy techniques, which anonymize data and prevent the identification of individual users or devices.
The AI improvements are planned for beta rollout in iOS 18.5, macOS 15.5, and iPadOS 18.5, with potential expansion to other Apple Intelligence features.
Apple's approach addresses limitations of training solely on synthetic data, allowing the company to better capture language trends without accessing personal user data.
This initiative follows earlier challenges with delayed Siri updates and leadership changes, marking a strategic shift toward more robust, privacy-focused AI solutions.