What are foundation models

Foundation models, as introduced by Apple at WWDC, refer to a framework that provides access to an on-device large language model. This model powers Apple intelligence and is accessible through a Swift API. The Foundation Models framework is available on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and VisionOS, and it allows developers to enhance existing app features or create new ones, such as personalized search suggestions or generating dialogue for game characters. The framework is optimized for tasks like content generation, text summarization, and user input analysis, all while ensuring privacy by keeping data on the device. It also supports offline functionality and does not increase app size since it is built into the operating system.

The framework includes features like guided generation for structured output, tool calling for executing custom functions, and stateful sessions for multi-turn interactions. It also incorporates safety guardrails to prevent misuse and ensure the generation of appropriate content. The framework is designed to be easy to use, requiring just a few lines of code to prompt the model and integrate intelligent features into apps.