When Apple unveiled Image Playground last year, the company promoted it as a quick and easy way to generate personalized original images with the help of Apple Intelligence. When launched, the app was skeptical and satisfied with its limitations and poor quality results.
For example, one Reddit user was surprised when the image playground continued to generate images of the hand with six fingers when he was prompted to create “images near the hand.” In another example, the user was unable to receive images with simple descriptions such as “old man” or “flower.”
Some people even questioned what the point of the app was. This notes how he looked like a boy when compared to the popular AI image generator. (Of course, not everyone hates the app, some people describe it as a fun experience.)
Fast forward to this year's WWDC. There, Tech Giant announced that it will improve Image Playground with ChatGPT integration.
The new ChatGPT integration will allow users to access more styles that move beyond the emoji-like works that the Image Playground has become known.
Images can be created in the following new styles: oil painting, watercolor, vector, anime, printing. Additionally, people will be able to choose new “any style” options that allow them to explain exactly what they want. These new styles will appear under a banner with the words “ChatGpt Style”.
Image credit: Apple
In the past, users were limited to animation, illustrations, sketches, and Genmoji styles.
According to Apple, Image Playground sends user descriptions to ChatGpt to generate images. The Tech giant points out that it doesn't share anything with ChatGpt without user permission.
By integrating ChatGpt into Image Playground, Apple has placed AI Image Creation Tool as a competitor suitable for other similar free apps, while providing another shot to attract users to the app.
Plus, it makes sense for Apple to use ChatGpt to raise the playground for images. Especially since the company has already tapped Openai's tools in other ways.
Last year, Apple announced that it was leading Siri and other first-party apps and features throughout the operating system. With Siri, the assistant is leveraging CHATGPT. If you are unable to answer your question yourself, or if the user requests Siri to send a inquiry to ChatGPT. Apple has integrated ChatGpt into system-wide tools such as writing tools, allowing users to generate, rewrite and summarise text in apps such as notes and emails.
The updated Image Playground app is scheduled to launch with the release of iOS 26 this fall.