Safari getting AI upgrade in iOS 18 with article summaries, built-in ad block

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Apple's plans to unveil a new version of its Safari web browser, Safari 18, which will include several new features such as:

• Intelligent Search: An AI-powered tool that can summarize the content of webpages
• Web Eraser: A feature that allows users to remove or "erase" specific elements like ads, images, or text from webpages
• Updated UI: A new page controls menu that consolidates various browser settings and tools in one central location

The article also mentions that Apple is working on a more advanced visual search feature for 2025 that will allow users to obtain information on consumer products from images.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Intelligent Search

1. How does the Intelligent Search feature work?

• The Intelligent Search feature leverages Apple's on-device AI technology, specifically the Ajax language-learning model, to identify topics and key phrases within a webpage.
• It selects key phrases by recognizing sentences that provide explanations or describe the structure of objects, as well as words that are repeated within the text.

2. How does Apple's approach to text summarization differ from rival generative AI tools?

• Apple's text summarization features are designed to be more secure for users, as they leverage Apple's on-device models and technologies like Private Relay.
• The Intelligent Search feature is likely the same AI browser assistant that was hinted at by a user a couple of weeks ago.

[02] Web Eraser

1. What does the Web Eraser feature do?

• The Web Eraser feature allows users to remove or "erase" specific portions of web pages, such as banner ads, images, text, or entire page sections.
• The erasure is persistent, meaning the changes will be remembered even after the original tab or window has been closed.

2. Where did Apple get the inspiration for the Web Eraser feature?

• The article suggests that Apple may have "Sherlocked" the feature from the third-party app 1Blocker, which has a similar way of allowing users to erase ads by tapping on them.

[03] Updated UI

1. How does the new page controls menu in Safari 18 improve the user experience?

• The new page controls menu consolidates various browser settings and tools, such as zoom options, privacy controls, content blocking, extensions, and the new AI and erasure tools, into one central location.
• This makes these options more discoverable and accessible for end users, as they were previously spread across different menus and the Share Sheet.

2. How does the new UI unify the iPadOS and macOS Safari experiences?

• The article suggests that the new page controls menu will bring together the UI paradigms of iPadOS and macOS Safari, indicating that Apple intends to align the browser's user experience across its different platforms.

[04] Visual Search

1. What is the Visual Search feature and when is it expected to be released?

• The Visual Search feature is a more powerful visual search tool that Apple is working on, which is expected to be integrated sometime in 2025.
• It will allow users to obtain information on consumer products when browsing through images, similar to the existing Visual Lookup feature.

2. How will the Visual Search feature be implemented?

• The article states that the implementation details of the Visual Search feature are still unclear, as it is in the earlier stages of development.
• It is uncertain whether the feature will be integrated as a system-wide feature or limited to specific apps like the Photos app.