I’ve written a few blog posts recently on my first impressions regarding some of the new features coming to iOS18 this coming Fall. The one thing I have yet to write about is the one thing that I am most looking forward to; Apple Intelligence; specifically the new tools that will be available for writing. I’m currently running betas on my iPhone 14, 11 inch iPad Pro (3rd Generation), and the Apple Watch Ultra (first edition). My initial access to Apple Intelligence, when it is released, will be limited to my 11 inch iPad Pro as it is currently the only device that will be able to handle the “cognitive load.” By the time Apple Intelligence is released to the public I will be ready to upgrade my iPhone 14 to an iPhone 16 which I am guessing will come with most if not all of the Apple Intelligence features.

Apple’s website has a great little quote that captures what I am most looking forward to with regard to Apple Intelligence, its ability to,

“…help you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly.”

It is no secret to those who read my blog that I love to write and am always looking, and thinking about things to write about, in an effort to cultivate what I call, mental silence. By mental silence I mean the peace, calmness, and contentment that comes when fully engaged in something that you really enjoy. Built into all of the platforms I use daily, Apple Intelligence’s writing tools seem poised to provide me an opportunity to further cultivate mental silence and my voice as a writer in ways I can only imagine.

This technologically optimistic mindset is not something I would have felt comfortable with 10-12 years ago. At that time, while finishing my Ph D in Urban Literacy, a lot of what I was reading positioned technology as a threat to the creativity and authenticity of writers, warning us that if we fully embraced what was coming one thing was for certain; our voice, as writers, would be taken away. That warning assumes that the writer does give in and allows the suggestions generated from the technology to become her voice. That warning does not take into account that the writer has agency, the ability to think critically about what has been presented to her and accept it fully, be informed by it, or ignore it entirely.

Don’t get me wrong, I know we are on the precipice of a time, with regard to using Apple Intelligence on our Apple devices, when we will never be 100 % certain whether the words we are reading were fully generated by, merely informed by, or entirely ignored via suggestions presented to us by Apple Intelligence. That doesn’t mean I can’t be excited to try it out!

Our voice, as writers, is cultivated over time. This cultivation comes from the act of writing itself as much as it comes from (if we are fortunate enough) sharing that writing with others, getting feedback from those we share our writing with, and, with our agency; accepting that feedback fully, being informed by that feedback, or ignoring it entirely. I want to experiment with Apple Intelligence’s writing tools; imagining them as a friend or colleague I would share my writing with, all in an effort to further cultivate my voice as a writer and at the same time; mental silence.