Apple’s web browser Safari is set to get a major AI upgrade when iOS 18 arrives later this year, according to a new report.
As previously announced in other reports, the upcoming iOS 18 software update will introduce several new features to iPhones based on AI and machine learning aimed at making the user experience much simpler, and Apple is also planning new features on Safari, its own web browser.
Topping the list of additions is a new intelligent search assistant, according to AppleInsider’s sources. Leveraging Apple’s on-device AI processing, Intelligent Search is said to identify key topics, phrases and other relevant information in web pages, intelligently summarizing content.
Also read – iOS 18: what new AI features for iPhones? We know what to expect
What do we know about AI features reserved for Safari?
Intelligent Search should help you quickly grasp the essential points of complex websites and online articles without having to read every word. This is sort of an AI-generated “TL;DR” or knowledge overview.
Safari is also expected to come with a handy “Web Eraser” feature, which will allow users to selectively and persistently remove unwanted parts of websites before sharing or bookmarking them. No more cropping screenshots: you can simply delete sections with a few clicks, and the changes will persist even after viewing the page again.
To simplify access to these new artificial intelligence features, Safari’s UI is expected to feature a revamped quick access menu emanating from the address bar. This menu will group together the different tools and actions on the page that are currently in separate menus, like the share sheet.
According to the report, these updates to Safari will eventually make their way to iPadOS and macOS as well, helping to further unify the experience. For iPad and Mac users in particular, the changes to Safari could bring the app closer to its iPhone counterpart. Apple could well detail all of this, since it is planning a conference dedicated to AI WWDC 2024 from June 10.
