Apple's best AI idea looks a lot like vibe coding
Apple's most interesting new AI feature is hiding inside the Shortcuts app, not Siri. Users describe an automation in plain English and Apple Intelligence assembles the workflow, an approach The Verge compares to vibe coding. The shortcut still lands inside Apple's normal visual editor, so people see and adjust every step rather than trusting a black box.
Key Takeaways
- Apple Shortcuts now turns a plain-language request into a working automation, removing the need to drag and connect actions one at a time.
- The Verge argues this build-by-description approach is Apple's strongest AI idea because it solves a real problem most people never bothered with before.
- Users pick which model runs the request: an on-device Apple Intelligence model, Private Cloud Compute for private cloud processing, or ChatGPT.
- New intelligent actions let shortcuts summarize text with Writing Tools or generate images with Image Playground as built-in steps.
- Generated shortcuts open in Apple's existing visual editor, so every action stays visible and editable instead of hidden behind a chat box.
- Complex multi-step automations with branching logic often still need manual fixes, so the AI gets you started rather than finishing the job.
Stats & Key Facts
- #1 plain-text prompt field replaces the old blank-canvas starting point for building a shortcut.
- #3 model choices power AI responses inside a shortcut: on-device Apple Intelligence, Private Cloud Compute, and ChatGPT.
- #M1 chip or newer is the minimum Apple hardware required to run the describe-a-shortcut feature.
- #5 Apple platforms gained the expanded Apple Intelligence features at WWDC: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro.
Why The Verge Calls Apple's Shortcuts Update Its Best AI Idea
The article opens by arguing most of Apple's AI is catch-up, then singles out one feature as different.
The author's main point is that most of Apple's announced AI mirrors what rivals already shipped: a chatbot for questions, quick text creation and summaries, and image generation. The pitch often amounts to a familiar feature now running on your iPhone.
The exception is the Shortcuts app. After installing the developer beta on an iPad, the writer found a feature that builds automations from a typed description, and that build-by-description model is what earns the vibe coding comparison. It tackles a job most people avoided because the old process was too fiddly.
How Describe-A-Shortcut Replaces The Blank Canvas
The redesign swaps a manual building process for a single prompt.
- ›The old flow asked users to hunt through a long list of actions and wire them together by hand.
- ›The new flow starts with a plain-text field where you type what you want the shortcut to do.
- ›Apple Intelligence reads the request and assembles a draft workflow from the available actions.
- ›The result appears in the same visual editor users already know, with each step laid out to inspect and change.
What Vibe Coding Means In This Context
The phrase explains why the feature feels new for everyday users.
Vibe coding describes telling an AI what you want in normal language and letting it produce the working steps, rather than writing or assembling them yourself. Shortcuts has long been a form of light programming, so applying that idea fits the app well.
The plain-language benefit matters because Shortcuts always rewarded patient tinkerers and frustrated everyone else. Lowering the entry cost to a sentence opens automation to people who never wanted to learn the action library. The writer frames this as Apple meeting users where they already think, in goals rather than steps.
Choosing The Model: On-Device, Private Cloud Compute, Or ChatGPT
Apple lets the user decide where the AI work happens.
- ›On-device Apple Intelligence runs the request locally, keeping the data on the device.
- ›Private Cloud Compute handles heavier requests in the cloud while keeping the information private.
- ›ChatGPT is offered as an optional third choice for generating responses inside a shortcut.
- ›Whichever model runs, its output feeds into the rest of the shortcut as a normal step.
Intelligent Actions: Writing Tools And Image Playground As Building Blocks
Apple Intelligence also shows up as ready-made steps inside shortcuts.
Beyond generating whole workflows, Apple added intelligent actions, a set of AI-powered steps you drop into a shortcut. Dedicated actions cover summarizing text with Writing Tools and creating images with Image Playground.
Apple's own example shows the practical angle: a student builds a shortcut that compares an audio transcription of a lecture to their notes and adds any key points they missed. That mixes transcription, AI comparison, and editing into one repeatable task.
Where The AI Still Falls Short
Hands-on testing shows the feature starts the work rather than finishing it.
- ›Shortcuts with several conditions, branching logic, or many connected apps were more likely to need manual fixes.
- ›The AI sometimes picked actions related to the request that did not fully accomplish the goal.
- ›In other cases the structure was right but extra configuration was needed before the shortcut ran reliably.
- ›Apple Intelligence requires an iPad with an M1 chip or newer, so older models miss the feature regardless of software.
Why This Matters For Non-Technical Users
The takeaway for a business reader is about access, not novelty.
For someone who runs a business and does not code, the real story is access. Automation that once demanded learning an action library now starts with a sentence, which lowers the barrier to building small time-savers like message templates, file routines, or routine reminders.
The honest caveat is that the AI is a starting point. Simple requests come out usable, while anything with multiple branches still needs a human to check and adjust. Treating the generated shortcut as a first draft, then refining it in the visual editor, is the practical way to use it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new Apple Shortcuts AI feature?
It lets you describe an automation in plain English and have Apple Intelligence build the workflow for you. The finished shortcut opens in Apple's normal visual editor so you can review and adjust every step.
Why does The Verge compare it to vibe coding?
Vibe coding means telling an AI what you want in everyday language and letting it produce the working steps. Building a shortcut from a typed description follows that same pattern, which is why the writer draws the comparison.
Which AI models power the feature?
Users choose among three options: an on-device Apple Intelligence model, Private Cloud Compute for private cloud processing, or ChatGPT. The selected model generates a response that feeds into the rest of the shortcut.
Does it work on any iPad?
No. The feature relies on Apple Intelligence, which requires an iPad with an M1 chip or newer. Older iPads will not run describe-a-shortcut regardless of the software version installed.
Is the AI reliable for complex automations?
Not fully. Hands-on testing found that shortcuts with branching logic or many connected apps often needed manual fixes, and the AI sometimes chose related actions that missed the goal. It works best as a starting draft you refine yourself.
Apple's most distinctive AI move this cycle is not a flashier Siri but a Shortcuts app that builds automations from a sentence. The idea lowers the barrier to everyday automation, even if complex workflows still need a human to finish the job.
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