IOS 18.1 rolls out to coincide with iPhone 16 release: What to know [Video]

WASHINGTON — Apple is accelerating the rollout of a software update that will implant artificial intelligence into its virtual assistant Siri and automate a variety of tedious tasks to coincide with the release of its latest iPhone.

The free update enabling the first set of features in Apple’s suite of artificial intelligence became available Thursday — about two weeks ahead of the October release that Apple projected earlier this month when it unveiled the iPhone 16.

Apple didn’t say why its artificial intelligence software is coming out ahead of its original schedule, but the technology is a marquee attraction in the four iPhone 16 models arriving in stores Friday.

All iPhone 16 models, with starting prices ranging from $800 to $1,200, are equipped with a special processor required for the new technology, which the company is marketing as …