The result is surprisingly robust, but there are still a few dangers.

But can AI ever really be private?

“The remaining risk, really, is how much we trust Apple.

A colorful brain next to a guitar.

Would you sacrifice your privacy for this?.Apple

In many ways these security levels are similar to the security tradeoffs of cloud computing in general.

Your Health data is similarly protected and has only recently been allowed to sync between your devices.

This is especially true if you don’t take advantage ofsecurity features baked into iOS.

Screenshot of a grid of pictures of a person with stickers on their face.

Apple Intelligence is going to revolutionize computing.Apple

Fortunately, iOS 18 alsoadds encryption for almost everythingin your iCloud backup.

The third optionChatGPTis so obviously a privacy nightmare that we won’t go deep into it.

This brings us toPrivate Cloud Compute, perhaps the most interesting part of this whole story.

Screenshot of the new writing tools in Apple Intelligence.

When writing, you really want to be sure your work stays private.Apple

But because cloud AI has to actually see your request, it cannot be end-to-end encrypted.

which are built in a similar way to your iPhone, with a secure enclave, etc.

Nothing that takes place inside these nodes is accessible to anyone, not even Apple employees.

“Apple’s safeguardsencryption, secure hardware, independent auditsare certainly commendable steps toward securing data in the cloud.

However, it’s important we remain clear-eyed about limitations.

No cloud infrastructure is impervious by design.

It’s the only way to be sure you really achieve Apple Intelligence privacy.

Update 08/02/2024: Updated information throughout the article to clarify some of Apple’s data protection features.