Cutting corners: Apple Intelligence is now an "opt-out" feature across the entire Apple ecosystem, despite still being marketed as a beta product. Most users aren't keen to have incomplete features forced upon them, but shoving AI down everybody's throat is a popular trend among corporations dabbling in the technology. After much anticipation, Apple introduced its generative AI suite last October with the release of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1. Initially, "Apple Intelligence" features were disabled by default users had to manually enable them through system settings. But now Cupertino has decided to reverse course likely due to slow adoption forcing users to "enjoy" generative AI features on mobile devices and Macs, whether they want them or not.Apple Intelligence has become an opt-out feature with the release of iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS Sequoia 15.3. According to the company, these GenAI features will be automatically enabled after installing the updates and during the device setup process.Users can still disable it through the Apple Intelligence & Siri Settings panel. However, proper hardware support is required, so the generative AI tools will only work on iPhone 15 Pro series, iPhone 16 series, and iPhone 16 Pro series. Similarly, iPad and Mac devices with M1 or newer Arm processors will have the features enabled by default after updating their operating systems.Apple's willingness to push beta and somewhat unreliable software features onto users is not unprecedented. The company took a similar approach with Siri in 2011. When users reported issues with the digital assistant, Apple brushed them off as "side effects" of the software's beta phase. Siri was finally rolled out as a full feature in 2013, shedding its "beta" label and becoming a standard part of iOS.Apple Intelligence appears to be following a similar path, as users are discovering some troublesome side effects with this brand-new technology. For example, the AI summaries feature has been generating fake headlines, prompting reporters to urge Apple to address the issue. As a stopgap measure, the latest OS updates will temporarily disable notifications for the entire "news and entertainment" app category until the problem is resolved. // Related StoriesIn today's rapidly evolving Wild West GenAI world, Apple seems to be mimicking its competitors by prioritizing corporate goals over user preference. Microsoft and Google have already made similar moves, enabling AI features by default on their platforms so users can experience the "wonders" of generative AI even if they have no need for it.