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Apple's iOS 18 beta and Amazon's AI assistant top the Innovation Index

Apple's suspiciously AI-less beta gives Samsung an edge while Amazon solidifies AI as a standard part of the shopper's reality.

Topping the Index this week was Apple's iOS 18 public beta, which brought to life many of the features our editors and experts were most excited about during WWDC last month. While the chatbot is a standard issue technologically speaking, Rufus marks another step in the shift towards personalized AI agents integrating with every part of a consumer's digital experience, even at the most mundane level. If it makes good on its promises, the release could be a turning point in what has otherwise been a begrudging trade-off of AI access for lack of privacy -- meaning more people using chatbots more comfortably.

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