Apple’s AI technology to make ‘ducking hell’ autocorrect a thing of the past

Apple has announced it will be using AI to detect when users want to swear in messages in a move that will be applauded by iPhone fans across the globe. The autocorrect feature has been the bugbear of users for years as it automatically changes a common swear word to “ducking”.

Apple has announced it will be using AI to detect when users want to swear in messages in a move that will be applauded by iPhone fans across the globe.

The autocorrect feature has been the bugbear of users for years as it automatically changes the F-bomb to “ducking”.

This has meant people have had to rewrite their own messages, with the phrase “damn you autocorrect” becoming an acronym, memes, having an Instagram account and even a song.

But thankfully the technology means that it will also be able to tell when someone is just writing a message about ducks and won’t change the text to an expletive.

Software boss Craig Federighi announced the development at Apple’s developer conference in California, USA.

He said: “In those moments where you just want to type a ducking word, well, the keyboard will learn it, too.”

The changes to the function will happen because the next Apple operating system will use a “transformer model”.

It uses mathematical techniques to track relationships in data and by doing so it learns context in sentences.

Transformers are some of the most powerful classes of AI models and by being used in predictive text they are becoming much more mainstream.

READ MORE: Appleby Horse Fair chaos as bomb squad deployed over suspect item

BBC News reports that the autocorrect change will be part of the iOS 17 operating system upgrades.

They are expected to be available as a public beta in July, with the general release two months later.

It should mean that the next iPads to be released also have this function.

Also at the conference, Apple announced that it is releasing a headset that will place its users between the virtual and real world, while also testing the technology trendsetter’s ability to popularise new-fangled devices after others failed to capture the public’s imagination.

After years of speculation, Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook hailed the arrival of the sleek goggles — dubbed “Vision Pro”.

The device will be capable of toggling between virtual reality, or VR, and augmented reality, or AR, which projects digital imagery while users still see can see objects in the real world.

Mr Cook said: “This marks the beginning of a journey that will bring a new dimension to powerful personal technology.”

Vision Pro will be launched in the States next year, where it is set to retail for around £3,000.

Giving their reaction to the new tech, Gartner analyst Tuong Nguyen said: “It’s an impressive piece of technology, but it was almost like a tease. It looked like the beginning of a very long journey.”