When Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 family last September, the world was still blissfully unaware of the impending AI revolution that would soon sweep the smartphone industry. Fast forward to today, and the landscape has shifted dramatically, leaving Apple scrambling to keep up with the AI-fueled advancements of its rivals.

The careful distinction Apple has worked tirelessly to maintain between its standard and Pro iPhone lines is now under threat, all because of the insatiable demand for artificial intelligence capabilities in modern smartphones.

It all began with Google‘s launch of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, just weeks after the iPhone 15 debut. Google’s bold claim of delivering the first “AI-first” smartphone set the stage for an AI arms race that would engulf the entire industry. Samsung quickly followed suit with the Galaxy AI, a device that placed artificial intelligence firmly in the spotlight during its Galaxy S24 family unveiling. Other manufacturers and suppliers have also jumped on the AI bandwagon, leaving Apple, traditionally a trendsetter, looking like a latecomer to the party.

To be fair, Apple has been no stranger to artificial intelligence. Elements of AI have long been present in features like Siri, computational photography, and autocorrect. However, these implementations have been subtle, almost undersold, failing to capture the public’s imagination in the same way as the bold AI promises made by Apple’s competitors.

The truth is, that AI doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to understand the principles, program the software, and develop the necessary hardware. Whether Apple’s current AI push is a reactive measure or a carefully orchestrated plan remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the iPhone 16 family will ship with various generative AI systems, both locally and in the cloud. Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June is expected to provide more insight into these AI capabilities.

Running generative AI locally requires a significant amount of processing power, something that the latest chipsets from Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Samsung have addressed with dedicated AI hardware. Even last year’s chipsets struggle to keep up with the demands of on-device AI processing, leaving cloud-based solutions as the only viable alternative, or worse, forcing manufacturers to omit these features entirely from software updates.

This brings us to the crux of Apple’s dilemma: the delicate balance between the vanilla iPhone and the Pro models.

In recent years, Apple has worked diligently to create a clear separation between the specifications of its standard and Pro iPhones. Last year’s iPhone 15 shipped with the A16 chipset, while the iPhone 15 Pro boasted the more powerful A17 Pro, establishing a generational gap between the two product lines.

However, with the advent of consumer-facing AI, Apple’s careful stratification may be upended. Consumers now expect AI capabilities to be present across the board, and Apple is unlikely to restrict these features solely to the Pro models. If Apple wants to deliver smooth on-device AI experiences, as it has historically prioritized for privacy reasons, it will need to equip its entry-level iPhones with dedicated AI hardware.

Fortunately, Apple has the newly developed A17 chipset at its disposal for the 2024 iPhone family. It’s widely anticipated that the A17 will incorporate specialized hardware for processing generative AI, a necessity for delivering the AI experiences consumers now demand.

However, this presents a quandary: how does Apple handle the divergence in AI capabilities between the standard and Pro models?

Apple is highly unlikely to restrict AI features to just the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. Such a move would undermine the company’s commitment to providing a consistent experience across its product lineup. This leaves Apple with one logical solution: to elevate the capabilities of the standard iPhone 16 to match, or at least closely approximate, the AI prowess of the Pro models.

While the iPhone 16 was initially expected to be a more modest upgrade from its predecessor, the demands of AI have now necessitated a significant power boost. The iPhone 16 will need to be equipped with AI hardware comparable to that of the A17 chipset, effectively narrowing the gap between the standard and Pro models.

Apple is committed to integrating AI into all its devices. However, this commitment has disrupted its carefully planned iPhone lineup. The iPhone 16 is expected to receive a performance boost, not because consumers demand more processing power, but because of the increasing demand for AI capabilities. This shift in the smartphone industry has put Apple in unfamiliar territory, where they are reacting to external pressures instead of leading the pace of innovation.

As a result, Apple’s meticulous plans for the iPhone 16 have been disrupted by the AI revolution, which will likely shape the future of not only Apple but the entire smartphone industry.