(CNN) – Apple announced the date of its next big event, which is expected to see the launch of the iPhone 16.
On Monday, September 9, the tech giant will host a special event with the theme “It's Glowtime.” It will take place at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. Miami time) at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park and will be streamed online.
While it's not entirely clear what “glowtime” refers to, built-in artificial intelligence is expected to be a key feature of the latest iPhone.
In June, Apple announced a series of generative AI features for the iPhone at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The company unveiled the first batch of tools powered by “Apple Intelligence,” from personalized Genmoji (Apple’s AI-generated emoji) to a significantly smarter Siri, which can answer questions about your schedule, what’s in your email and what time your loved one’s flight lands.
While iPhone 15 Pro Max users will likely be able to access at least some of the AI features, the upcoming iPhone 16 is expected to be the first device designed entirely with AI in mind.
At the conference, Apple also announced a partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI, which faces its own scrutiny and challenges.
Artificial intelligence has been integrated into some iPhone features for years, such as Live text and an improved autocorrect feature over the original. But improved generative AI could take advantage of those features intended to improve the interaction and personalizationwhich would potentially make a new iPhone the first designed specifically with some of those features in mind.
However, Angelo Zino, a technology analyst at CFRA Research, said the outlook for the iPhone 16 is subdued, with new AI features rolling out over the next few years — the improved Siri may even arrive in 2025, for example, Zino said.
“This will be more of an evolutionary process, rather than one big iPhone cycle,” Zino said.
The Generative AI allows tools to create written work, images, and even audio in response to user input.
Apple's move into AI would likely come via Siri, the company's virtual assistant, analysts said. Combining Siri with OpenAI's latest ChatGPT-4o model could allow the assistant to remember a photo taken years ago, provide more specific information and even possibly learn a user's preferences and personality over time.
The launch could change Apple's trajectory for the iPhone. iPhone sales in China have fallen due to uncertain economic conditions and increasing competition.
One of the biggest questions surrounding the device’s launch is how much it will cost. Apple enthusiasts have debated for years whether iPhone models should be cheaper, while investors would prefer to make the most profit. CFRA isn’t modeling a big price increase for the iPhone 16, but the inclusion of AI capabilities “could potentially push up prices across the board,” Zino said.
Apple's competitors have already made forays into the generative AI space, such as “circle to search” function from Samsung, which allows users to quickly search for information on a device screen with a swipe of the finger.
CNN's Samantha Kelly contributed to this report.
