Many of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro rumors have one thing in common: the possibility of additional or enhanced AI capabilities.

AI, especially generative AI, is an area of growing interest in the tech world, and that includes smartphones. With the Google Pixel 8 already touting a top-class AI experience in your pocket, and the rumored Samsung Galaxy S24 said to be a strong seller of AI features when it launches next year, it is natural that Apple's next smartphone will try to compete on similar terms It seems natural that Apple's next smartphone will try to compete on similar terms.

There is still a year to go before the iPhone 16 series launches, but thanks to the many rumors already available, it is not hard to see how Apple could be preparing to go all in on AI. See the five biggest reasons below.

First is the recent rumor that Apple will add a new microphone to the iPhone 16 series, allowing Siri to understand your requests; Siri itself is said to be getting an upgrade, but those have yet to be revealed by our informants.

Apple apparently foresees its digital assistant becoming the primary way for iPhone users to interact with AI features, and it is believed that the Siri and AI departments of Apple's staff are all part of the same wider team. iPhone 16 Hopefully AI will not have to be used solely for voice commands, but it is an encouraging sign for Apple's development.

Apple's iOS 18 software should be available next summer. Rumors about specific features are quiet so far, except that those in the know believe that AI will be a big part of iOS 18's offerings.

Furthermore, iOS 18 will likely be included in all recent iPhones, but it is said that the iPhone 16 will offer more on-device processing, while older models will have to rely on cloud processing instead. This would mean that whatever AI Apple adds to the next generation iPhone interface, the latest iPhone is the best way to experience it.

The iPhone 15 Pro action button should be added to all iPhone 16 models. This customizable button has several preconfigured functions, plus the option to perform automated shortcuts.

We have observed that Apple is not yet fully utilizing the potential of this button, and the Live Translation feature recently added to the Action Button has whetted our appetite for other sophisticated AI-based features. Since the Action Button is likely to be included on all iPhone 16 models, perhaps it will finally come into its own to quickly activate new AI features.

In news you may have missed, Apple announced the MLX AI framework for developers. It is designed for the Mac, but seems inevitable to trickle down to the iPhone 16.

Other than MLX, Apple's AI activities are a bit of a mystery, but the company reportedly spends $1 billion a year on AI research, including chatbots, which are considered AppleGPT. With such a large investment, the company is bound to use the fruits of this research in the latest version of its most popular product, the iPhone 16.

Running more powerful AI functions requires a more powerful device, and fortunately, we may see many changes in the iPhone 16 under the hood that will help.

Rumor has it that the new iPhones will benefit from a larger battery, a more powerful A18 (A17 depending on who you believe) or A18 Pro chipset, more RAM, and the same faster type of RAM in all models.

All this should help the iPhone 16 complete AI tasks on the device, which is Apple's preference over sending data to be processed in the cloud. However, for AI functions that take place in the cloud (perhaps via a third-party app), the rumored Wi-Fi 7 compatibility could be used, which would ensure that the new iPhone is compatible with the latest and fastest Internet routers.