AI-Powered Apple Shortcuts: Revolutionizing Automation or Delayed Dream?
The Apple Shortcuts app, a descendant of the indie project Workflow, has long been a powerful tool for automation, particularly on the Mac. However, in the age of agentic AI, it's beginning to feel a bit... static. Could an AI-powered revamp be the answer? Let's delve into what this could mean for users.
According to Mark Gurman's recent Power On newsletter, Apple is reportedly planning a significant overhaul of Shortcuts, integrating AI capabilities through its Apple Intelligence initiative. This revamped version, originally slated for 2025 but potentially delayed to 2026, would allow users to create actions using AI models.
This integration could significantly lower the barrier to entry for automation, enabling more natural language interactions. Imagine instructing your device with simple voice or text prompts: "When I start a Zoom call, activate Do Not Disturb, dim the screen, and open Notes. After the call, draft an email summarizing the meeting." This level of automated assistance, currently challenging for most users, could become seamlessly integrated into everyday workflows.
This move echoes broader industry trends, as seen with Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs, which utilize AI agents to perform actions based on natural language commands. The key difference being Apple's control over the entire ecosystem, allowing for potentially deeper integration and optimization.
However, the fate of Apple adopting Anthropic's MCP (Meta-Control Protocol), an open standard facilitating seamless integration between AI assistants and external data sources, remains uncertain. While adoption would benefit users through enhanced automation capabilities beyond system settings and local app control, Apple's historical approach to closed ecosystems leaves this possibility in question.
Meanwhile, industry veterans Ari Weinstein and Conrad Kramer, the minds behind the original Workflow app and subsequently Apple Shortcuts, have unveiled their new venture, Sky. This AI-powered assistant, currently in closed alpha, promises to extend AI integration and automation across the entire macOS environment.
Sky is designed as an AI-powered assistant that can perform actions and answer questions for any window and any app open on your Mac. It uses Large Language Models (LLMs) to decipher open windows, the contents within, and the actions you can take based on those contents. It's about understanding context and enabling actions based on it.
For instance, a user can ask Sky to "send a link and summary of this to John" while viewing a webpage. Sky will grab the link, summarize the page using an LLM, identify the contact, and send a message using the Messages app. What sets Sky apart is its ability to integrate with any application on macOS, regardless if it's built with AppKit, SwiftUI, or Electron.
One particularly compelling feature is the "Skyshot." By holding down the two Command keys, users capture a special screenshot of the frontmost window, including both the image and textual representation of the window. You can then perform actions based on what is displayed on the screen, such as extract information from albums in Spotify, or proofread posts in Obsidian.
Despite the possible delay in the AI-powered Shortcuts update, the industry continues to push towards a more integrated and simplified automation process. Whether it be Apple's internal revamp or third-party solutions like Sky, the future of automation leans heavily on the capabilities of artificial intelligence. What approach will revolutionize how users interact with their devices?
What are your thoughts on AI-powered automation? How do you see these technologies impacting your daily workflow? Share your insights in the comments below!
