Confused about Apple AI in the EU and 8GB of RAM

[iHorseHead]

Hey,
I have a question about the Apple AI and 8GB of RAM and the EU. Yesterday I reinstalled macOS and at least some features are available and it seems that AI is even available in Xcode. I mean as much as I tried it writes for me. It's even available in Mail and it seems to work and
even Image Playground (which I don't see the point yet?) seems to work.
The reason why I reinstalled the OS was because I often got "Your Mac shut down because of an error" message when I restarted it + I couldn't get rid of VirtualBox files completely and I don't want Steam anymore either + there was a lot of junk and reinstalling the OS seemed like an easier choice, since I have everything on an external hard drive, but I don't know… I didn't get the choice of Apple AI before. I mean it was there in the settings, but I assumed it didn't work on a base model MacBook and in the EU, but something works. I am positive my region settings are correct because iPhone Mirroring doesn't work for me. I don't understand why Apple even has it because they removed Bootcamp, News etc things that aren't available for my Mac & region but not this one.

 

[bogdanw]

Is there a RAM requirement? Apple mentions only "7 GB of storage".
How to get Apple Intelligence https://support.apple.com/121115

 

[MajorFubar]

I think you're confusing RAM with storage requirements.
Also what made you think AI features weren't available in the EU
EDIT sorry that sounded pretty rude. I meant to say "where have you seen info that AI features aren't available in the EU"

 

[derbyshire2013]

​

For European Union residents​

Apple Intelligence is available with macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later on supported Mac models.

For iOS 18.1 and later, and iPadOS 18.1 and later, Apple Intelligence will not currently work if you are in the EU and if your Apple Account Country/Region is also in the EU. If travelling outside of the EU, Apple Intelligence will work on your iPhone or iPad if your language and Siri language are set to a supported language.

In April, many of the core features of Apple Intelligence will start to roll out to iPhone and iPad users in the EU.

 

[iHorseHead]

I think you're confusing RAM with storage requirements.
Also what made you think AI features weren't available in the EU
EDIT sorry that sounded pretty rude. I meant to say "where have you seen info that AI features aren't available in the EU"

But I read that in the past somewhere that Apple AI requires 16GB of RAM (not storage) and on iPhone 8GB of RAM (not storage) and will be unavailable in the EU.

Is 8GB enough RAM for your MacBook? Not if you want to use the latest Apple AI

This new AI feature requires a minimum of 16GB of RAM

www.laptopmag.com

Apple admits 8GB of RAM isn’t enough for new AI feature in Xcode 16, casting doubt on future-proofing of entry-level Macs

Our main worry is that future AI features in Apple Intelligence could struggle without 16GB

www.techradar.com

And I saw it on Apple's website somewhere before it was released… And about it not coming to the EU:

Apple's AI has now been released but it's not coming to Europe

Apple Intelligence is available for those with an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or any iPhone 16 model.

www.euronews.com

I understood that it's not coming at all.

Edit: I am so confused now, but I swear to god it was there on Apple's website that 16GB is minimum for Apple's AI.
I can't find them now. But I do remember people saying that Apple AI won't be available in the EU for years etc and that it'll require 16GB of RAM minimum.

 

[nmt1900]

For iOS 18.1 and later, and iPadOS 18.1 and later, Apple Intelligence will not currently work if you are in the EU and if your Apple Account Country/Region is also in the EU

That means that Apple Intelligence is unavailable in EU for iPhone and iPad - it does not say that it is unavailable on Mac and macOS.

It should be available on all devices from April - In April, many of the core features of Apple Intelligence will start to roll out to iPhone and iPad users in the EU.

How to get Apple Intelligence - Apple Support

Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you communicate, work, and express yourself. It combines generative models with your personal context to deliver intelligence that is most useful and relevant to you, while protecting your privacy.

support.apple.com

 

[Mac mini power user]

You can enable AI in the EU now (and have been since its beta rollout in late July) by changing your region to one that is supported. As mentioned above, most features will roll out in the EU in April with the iOS 18.4, iPad OS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 updates. For now, you're not missing out on much. Mail summaries are sometimes helpful, but writing tools is still too lackluster to use on a daily basis. Image Playground is far inferior to any other AI Image generator.

As for the RAM requirement: Apple deemed 8 GB necessary for all its devices to run its LLM on-device. That's why every non-Watch device henceforth will have at least 8 GB of RAM.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

I’m pretty sure the 16GB talk was the doomer’s reaction to Apple updating Mac’s minimum RAM to 16GB: although they were asking for it, now that Apple has done it is still not enough, and it’s Apple AI’s fault.

 

[iHorseHead]

I’m pretty sure the 16GB talk was the doomer’s reaction to Apple updating Mac’s minim RAM to 16GB: although they were asking for it, now that Apple has done it it’s still not enough, and it’s Apple AI’s fault.

I haven't faced any issues yet?
My Mac is still fast and works well and the AI features I've tried have worked (although I've realised I don't need Apple AI)