Apple has entered the realm of AI technology alongside industry giants like Google and Microsoft. The tech giant's researchers have introduced MGIE, a cutting-edge model that empowers users to edit images simply by entering text commands in natural language, akin to instructing the generation of a photo. Apple collaborated with the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the development of MGIE, which stands for MLLM-Guided Image Editing. This innovative model allows users to perform actions such as cropping, resizing, flipping, and applying filters to images through straightforward text prompts, as outlined in their research paper.

The researchers emphasized the enhanced controllability and flexibility of image manipulation achieved through instruction-based editing. MGIE utilizes a multimodal large language model (MLLM) approach, demonstrating commendable capabilities in cross-modal understanding and visual-aware response generation. According to the research paper, MGIE "learns to derive expressive instructions and provides explicit guidance," showcasing its ability to capture visual imagination and execute manipulation seamlessly through end-to-end training. Providing practical examples, the researchers showcased MGIE's prowess by transforming a photo with a simple command like "remove woman in the background," effectively eliminating photobombers and making the image more refined. Similarly, enhancing underexposed photos becomes a breeze with text inputs such as "add more contrast to simulate more light."

Comparatively, Apple's MGIE sets itself apart from consumer-facing models by Google and Microsoft, as it not only generates AI photos but also facilitates text-guided editing. Microsoft's recent introduction of Designer for Copilot, powered by DALL-E 3, allows users to edit AI-generated images, emphasizing features like highlighting objects, adding background blur, and altering art styles. It's worth noting that Microsoft's image editing tools are currently available in English for users in India, Australia, New Zealand, the US, and the UK. As Apple ventures into the AI editing landscape, it marks a significant stride towards more intuitive and user-friendly image manipulation tools.