Big Tech companies unleashed a wave of AI announcements this week ahead of the holiday season, introducing several consumer-ready features and tools that are available now. Here are five standout AI products that could enhance your daily digital life.
Apple’s Genmoji debuts with iOS 18.2, allowing users to create custom AI-generated emoji through Apple Intelligence. Users can design personalized emoji based on people in their photo library or create entirely new ones using text descriptions. The feature supports iterative refinement, letting you tweak descriptions until you’re satisfied with the result. Genmoji can be sent in texts, used as stickers, or applied as Tapback reactions. The feature is available on iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
ChatGPT integration in iOS 18.2 brings OpenAI’s conversational AI directly into Apple’s ecosystem. iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 users can now access ChatGPT through Siri and Writing Tools without switching between apps. The integration enables users to generate written content, create images to accompany text, and seamlessly interact with ChatGPT’s capabilities throughout the iOS interface.
OpenAI’s Sora video generator officially launched to public users as part of the company’s “12 Days of Shipmas” announcement series. The AI video tool can create videos up to 1080p resolution lasting up to 20 seconds from text prompts. Sora can also fill in missing frames, complete scenes, or extend existing videos. After being available only to select creators since February, Sora is now accessible to ChatGPT Plus subscribers ($20/month) and Pro users ($200/month).
Advanced Voice Mode with vision enhances ChatGPT’s conversational capabilities by adding visual understanding. The feature allows ChatGPT to see through your phone’s camera or examine screen content, providing visual context for more accurate responses. This capability, first demonstrated in spring 2024, is rolling out to ChatGPT Team, Plus, and Pro users through the latest mobile app version.
Google Deep Research joins the lineup as Gemini Advanced’s new agentic feature for conducting comprehensive research on complex topics. The tool autonomously browses the web and generates detailed reports with key findings and source links that can be exported to Google Docs. Deep Research began rolling out this week in English on desktop and mobile web, with mobile app availability planned for early 2025.
Key Quotes
It can browse the web ’the way you do'
Google described how its Deep Research feature operates in a blog post, emphasizing that the AI agent mimics human browsing behavior to conduct comprehensive research on complex topics, representing a significant step toward more autonomous AI assistants.
Our Take
The simultaneous launch of these AI products reveals a strategic race among tech giants to establish their AI ecosystems before competitors can dominate. What’s particularly noteworthy is the focus on multimodal capabilities—vision, voice, video, and text—suggesting the industry is moving beyond text-based chatbots toward more comprehensive AI assistants. The pricing tiers for features like Sora ($20-$200/month) indicate companies are still experimenting with monetization models for generative AI. Apple’s approach of integrating AI deeply into iOS without additional subscription fees contrasts sharply with OpenAI’s premium model, potentially giving Apple an advantage in mass adoption. The “agentic” nature of Google’s Deep Research—where AI autonomously completes complex tasks—may represent the most significant development, pointing toward a future where AI doesn’t just respond to prompts but independently executes multi-step workflows.
Why This Matters
This coordinated release of consumer-ready AI tools marks a significant shift in how artificial intelligence is becoming integrated into everyday technology. Rather than experimental features, these are polished products available to millions of users today, signaling that AI has moved from the laboratory to mainstream adoption.
The timing—a pre-holiday push from Apple, Google, and OpenAI—demonstrates intense competition among tech giants to capture consumer mindshare in the AI space. Each company is staking out different territory: Apple focuses on device-level AI integration, OpenAI emphasizes creative content generation, and Google leverages its search expertise for research capabilities.
For businesses and consumers, these tools represent practical applications that can enhance productivity, creativity, and communication. The accessibility of features like Sora’s video generation and Deep Research’s autonomous browsing suggests AI is transitioning from novelty to utility. This democratization of advanced AI capabilities will likely accelerate adoption across industries and reshape expectations for what software should accomplish autonomously.
Recommended Reading
For those interested in learning more about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and effective AI communication, here are some excellent resources:
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/new-ai-products-worth-trying-openai-google-apple-2024-12