How Private Is Apple Intelligence? Here’s What You Need to Know

Apple has long declared that "privacy is a fundamental human right". But how does this belief hold up in the age of artificial intelligence, where processing power often demands that data leave your device to be processed externally? Can Apple uphold its privacy-first ethos with its introduction of Apple Intelligence?

As an answer to that, Apple has launched:

• Its family of proprietary foundation models
• On-device computing for local data handling
• Private Cloud Compute (PCC) blending cloud capabilities with privacy safeguards

But how effective are these measures in practice, and what do they mean for you as a user? Let’s take a closer look!

What Models Power Apple Intelligence?

Yes, Apple created its own foundation models. Apple Intelligence operates on proprietary foundation models known as Apple Foundation Models (AFMs).

The two main models are:

• AFM-on-device: Lightweight model (~3 billion parameters) optimized for local tasks on devices like iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
• AFM-server: A more powerful server-based model designed for resource-intensive AI operations.

Beyond these, Apple Intelligence also includes models specialized for coding and a diffusion model for generating visual content.

Privacy by Design

Apple’s privacy-first AI strategy revolves around two key pillars:

• On-Device Processing: For tasks like predictive text and photo curation, data is handled locally on the user’s device, ensuring it never leaves the hardware.
• Private Cloud Compute (PCC): For complex tasks requiring additional computing power

As Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, explained to Wired, this strategy ensures that user data remains “hermetically sealed inside of a privacy bubble.” According to Federighi, the mission from the start was to extend on-device privacy guarantees to the cloud, which required breakthroughs in both hardware and software design.

Let’s examine both components in more detail.

What Is On-Device Processing?

Apple processed your data locally on your device whenever possible. It means tasks like predictive text, photo curation, and message summarization are handled directly on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

How On-Device Processing Works

On-device processing uses the computational power of Apple’s hardware — like the A18 chip in the latest iPhones — to process data locally.

Here's what it means for you as a user:

• Your data stays private: Sensitive information doesn’t leave your device.
• Reduced attack surface: Hackers and third parties can’t intercept data during transmission.
• Control: You control how your data is used.

While this approach has clear benefits, Apple’s current AI features have received mixed reviews from users. According to The Verge, some AI-driven features like notification summaries are still clunky or inconsistent, suggesting room for improvement:

Despite these hiccups, Apple’s focus on compact, efficient models signals long-term potential.

What Is Private Cloud Compute (PCC)?

Not all tasks can be processed on a device. For example, generating detailed AI images or analyzing large datasets require more computing power than even the most advanced smartphones can provide.

This dependency on cloud infrastructure raises questions about how well privacy principles hold up when data inevitably leaves the user’s device. But Apple's Private Cloud Compute (PCC) infrastructure is created by Apple to bring the privacy advantages of on-device processing to its cloud services.

Here's how PCC protects your data:

1. Temporary Data Usage: Your data is only used to process the request and is deleted immediately afterward. Even Apple cannot access a copy of it.
2. Encryption in Transit: Data is encrypted as it travels from your device to PCC servers, ensuring it cannot be intercepted.
3. Custom Security Architecture: PCC servers are purpose-built, using Apple’s Secure Enclave technology to protect data and verify system integrity.
4. No Persistent Storage: Servers lack persistent storage, meaning no user data is retained after processing.
5. Anonymization: Requests are stripped of identifying details, making it nearly impossible to trace data back to an individual.
6. Transparency: Apple provides external researchers access to inspect PCC’s software, ensuring accountability.

Transparency and User Control

Apple is committed to providing users with insight into how their data is processed. iOS 18.1 introduces a transparency feature that logs AI tasks, showing whether data was processed locally or in the cloud.

User Control

Apple enforces explicit user consent for data sharing with third-party AI tools. For instance:

• ChatGPT Integration: Siri’s integration with ChatGPT is disabled by default. Users must opt in and approve specific data-sharing requests.
• Permissions: Apple Intelligence prompts users before sharing data with third parties.

This opt-in approach ensures that users remain in control of their data.

Apple’s Responsible AI Team

Apple’s Responsible AI Team oversees the ethical development of its AI systems, focusing on privacy, safety, and compliance.

The team focuses on:

• Data Filtering: Sensitive information is excluded from training datasets to protect user privacy.
• Policy Development: Guidelines ensure strict safeguards for features that handle personal data.
• Red Teaming: AI models undergo rigorous testing against potential risks

Conclusion

Apple’s approach to AI reflects its broader philosophy: privacy and innovation can coexist. While there’s room for improvement, its strategies, from on-device processing to PCC, set a high bar for balancing technological progress with ethical responsibility.

Valeriia Kuka

Valeriia Kuka, Head of Content at Learn Prompting, is passionate about making AI and ML accessible. Valeriia previously grew a 60K+ follower AI-focused social media account, earning reposts from Stanford NLP, Amazon Research, Hugging Face, and AI researchers. She has also worked with AI/ML newsletters and global communities with 100K+ members and authored clear and concise explainers and historical articles.