Oliver Haslam·

Apple’s New Xcode AI Tool Could Automate Testing Apps And More

Apple is reportedly working on a new AI tool that could be used to help app developers test their products in a similar way to Microsoft’s GitHub and its Copilot feature. That’s according to a new Bloomberg report detailing Apple’s future AI plans.

Development is reportedly underway and Apple is expanding testing internally ahead of a potential launch to developers later this year.

With WWDC set to take place in June, it’s possible Apple is aiming for that timeframe here.

The new system will operate similarly to Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot and use artificial intelligence to predict and complete blocks of code, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. That simplifies the programming process for software development, potentially saving time and money.

Bloomberg notes that part of Apple’s plans include AI tools for generating code for testing apps, something that is currently a tedious operation. The move comes as Apple is thought to be working on multiple different AI initiatives throughout 2024 including potential Siri improvements for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and more.

The moves are part of a broader push into generative AI and large language models, the technology behind popular chatbots like ChatGPT. Apple is playing catch-up with tech peers in this burgeoning market, but has promised to discuss its plans for AI later this year. That announcement could come as soon as June, when the company holds its annual developers conference.

While Apple hasn’t officially announced any of this work it’s possible that it will share more details at the WWDC event in June, where iOS 18 and other software updates are likely to be previewed. If that’s the case, the new software won’t be released to the public until this coming fall.

Improving Siri and AI capabilities could be a big deal for Apple Vision Pro owners, especially given the problematic text input the headset already offers. Using the headset could become easier if users could simply speak to Siri instead, but details on such functionality are hard to come by currently.

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