Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 showcased a significant leap forward in the company's AI strategy, with the unveiling of an AI-enhanced Shortcuts app. This revamped app integrates seamlessly with Apple Intelligence, granting developers and everyday users unprecedented access to on-device AI capabilities, changing how users interact with their Apple devices.
The AI-powered Shortcuts app aims to democratize automation, previously seen as a tool for power users. Now, with approachable AI integration, even casual users can transform how they interact with their devices. Users can now automate tasks using local processing or Apple's Private Compute framework, ensuring privacy and security.
The updated Shortcuts app includes intelligent actions that enable specialized functions, such as AI-powered text summarization through Writing Tools and image creation via Image Playground. Users can also leverage AI models on-device or via Private Compute to enhance shortcuts, such as comparing lecture transcriptions with notes, flagging important missed concepts, or incorporating ChatGPT responses for additional context.
This move follows Apple's delayed Siri overhaul from the previous year, positioning Shortcuts as an interim solution for users seeking smarter device interactions. It's a strategic move, as WWDC 2025 also highlighted broader AI commitments across Apple's ecosystem, with Shortcuts serving as a tangible example.
The AI-enhanced Shortcuts app is part of Apple's broader push to integrate AI into its ecosystem. Apple also unveiled a way for third-party apps to tap into Apple Intelligence called the Foundation Models Framework, allowing developers to integrate their features into Apple Intelligence using Apple's API.
At WWDC 2025, Apple introduced other AI-powered features such as "Workout Buddy", an AI-powered trainer on Apple Watch. This feature uses an AI-generated voice that uses data from workouts and health history to provide tips and motivation. Additionally, iOS 26 includes a visual search feature by combining Visual Intelligence with Apple Intelligence, allowing users to take a screenshot of any app and use a new search function to recognize the content and pre-populate their calendar or other relevant information.
The new AI features are available for testing, with the potential to simplify tasks such as creating meeting notes and tracking activities. The models powering Apple Intelligence are becoming more capable and efficient, with features integrated across iOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, iPadOS 26, and watchOS 26. Apple is also giving developers direct access to the on-device foundation model powering Apple Intelligence, allowing them to tap into intelligence that is powerful, fast, built with privacy, and available even when users are offline, potentially igniting a new wave of intelligent experiences in the apps users rely on every day.
