Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 add AI conversation summaries, raising privacy concerns

Apple has launched new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models featuring "Audio Intelligence" tools, including Live Rewind and Siri Recap, which can continuously listen to conversations and generate AI summaries of a user's day, raising potential privacy concerns. The Live Rewind feature stores only the last 15 seconds of audio, playing a loud tone when accessed, while Siri Recap requires explicit opt-in, stores data securely, and auto-deletes summaries after seven days if unsaved. Apple emphasizes all processing is private, with no recordings or precise transcriptions stored. The features arrive amid broader industry debate over consent and data collection, with competitors like Meta facing criticism for similar technologies. Apple's support documents advise users to "be mindful of those around you," and the features will launch in beta later this year.