Apple is rolling out a free software update that will inject its first dose of artificial intelligence into its iPhone 16 lineup as the trendsetting company tries to catch up with the latest tech craze.

The upgrade to the iOS 18 operating system comes Monday more than a month after four iPhone 16 models equipped with the special computer chip needed to power AI functions went on sale for prices ranging from $800 to $1,200. Last year’s premium models – iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max – also have a processor that will activate AI technology after installing the software update.

Recent versions of Apple iPad and Mac computer can also be updated with the software.

Countries outside the US won’t get the AI ​​software for their iPhones until next year, at a date yet to be determined. Apple has spent the past five weeks testing the AI ​​software among an audience of iPhone owners who signed up to help the company fine-tune the technology.

The artificial intelligence infusion should transform Apple’s often-crazy virtual assistant Siri into a more conversational, versatile and colorful companion whose presence will be indicated by a bright light that surrounds the iPhone’s screen as requests are processed .

While Apple promises that Siri will be able to multitask and be less prone to confusion, it won’t be able to interact with other apps installed on the iPhone until another software update rolls out at an as-yet-unspecified date.

Other AI features included in this software update will handle a variety of writing and proofreading tasks, summarize the content of emails and other documents. AI will also provide a variety of editing tools to change the look of photos and make old images easier to find.

Other AI tricks to come in future software updates will include the ability to create custom emojis on the fly or conjure up other fancy images on demand. Apple also plans to eventually enable its AI suite to get a helping hand from OpenAI’s ChatGPT when users want it.

Most of the AI ​​features that Apple introduced on Monday are already available on Android smartphones that Samsung and Google launched earlier this year.

In an effort to distinguish its approach from the early leaders in AI, the iPhone’s suite of new technologies is marketed as “Apple Intelligence.” Apple also promises that its AI features will do a much better job of protecting the privacy of iPhone owners, either running the technology on the device or trapped in a fortress-like data center when some requests need to be processed by at a distance.

Since most iPhones currently in use around the world do not have the computer chip required for Apple’s AI, the technology is expected to generate huge demand for the new models during the holiday season and next year as well. That’s the main reason why Apple’s stock price is up 18% since the Cupertino, Calif., company previewed its AI strategy at a conference in early June. The takeover boosted Apple’s market value by about $500 billion, catapulting it closer to becoming the first US company worth $4 trillion.

Apple will give investors their first glimpse of how the iPhone 16 is doing on Thursday, when the company releases quarterly financial information for the July-September quarter — a period that includes the first days the new models went on sale.

Demand for the high-end iPhone 15 models has increased as prices have fallen and excitement around Apple’s entry into the AI ​​market has grown, according to an assessment of the smartphone market last quarter by research firm International Data Corp .

Apple’s iPhone shipments rose 3.5 percent year-on-year to 56 million worldwide in the July-September period, second only to Samsung, according to IDC. The question now is whether Apple’s gradual rollout of more AI will prompt owners of older iPhones to splurge on the new models during the holidays, “securing their purchases for the long haul,” said IDC analyst Nabila Popal.

Also on Monday, Apple said that with a software update, some wireless AirPods can be used as hearing aids.

An estimated 30 million people—1 in 8 Americans over the age of 12—have hearing loss in both ears. Millions of people would benefit from hearing aids, but most have never tried them, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.