Apple's intelligence could solve my programming problems, but this key feature is missing.

About a year ago, I started learning Swift, the programming language that Apple uses to develop applications. My goal was to eventually create my own iOS apps from scratch and rediscover the joy of programming. However, over time, my interest began to wane. My last coding practice was almost 20 years ago when I learned HTML and CSS on my own, and it was challenging to get back into that mindset. Additionally, I didn't have a specific goal for developing an app, which diminished my motivation to push through the difficult parts.

Amid all the hype about how artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize the world, I believe this is an area where AI could have genuinely helped me. Maybe my experience would have been different if I had had an AI assistant to help me write code in the sections where I was stuck. Perhaps, with that help, my programming journey wouldn't have come to such an abrupt end.

Interestingly, this type of coding assistant is precisely what Apple announced it will incorporate into its Apple Intelligence platform. This new tool is called Swift Assist, and the company has committed to integrating it into its coding application Xcode. The proposal is for this assistant to be capable of automatically generating code snippets from natural language requests.

However, the launch of Swift Assist presents a drawback: its existence is questionable. Since its introduction at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2024, the feature has not been visible. Despite mention during WWDC that Swift Assist would be available "later this year," it has never appeared in any beta versions of Xcode or macOS, and notably, it is not mentioned in the release notes of the most recent beta version of Xcode 16.3.

With WWDC 2025 just three months away, time is running out for Apple to showcase a concrete functionality. The frustration generated by this situation lies in the fact that Swift Assist seems to be a brilliant idea. It was announced that it would have a deep understanding of the Swift coding language and the latest APIs from the company, in areas where many other AI tools face difficulties. It could suggest new approaches when one is stuck on an unproductive path, a problem I experienced myself while programming.

Additionally, it was stated that Swift Assist would operate in the cloud, although Apple assured that your code would never be stored on its servers and that "Apple will not use it to train machine learning models." This is particularly relevant when working with custom code and AI models, a combination that can be risky.

On the other hand, competitors like OpenAI have demonstrated that ChatGPT can be directly integrated into Xcode, generating code from natural language commands, similar to what Swift Assist promised. Google’s Gemini AI can also perform comparable tasks. However, with OpenAI and Google, there is the risk that your confidential code could be used to train their models, which could lead to code leaks.

Despite months passing since the last mention of Swift Assist, it seems the situation reflects a pattern in Apple Intelligence, where missing or poorly executed features are piling up. The delay in improving Siri's capabilities is one of the most recent examples. The postponement of Swift Assist's launch is especially disappointing, as it could have helped me break through the stagnation that affected my previous attempt to learn Swift. While I can always turn to ChatGPT, privacy is paramount for me. The peace of mind knowing that my code won't feed an unknown AI for uncertain purposes is essential.

I hope Apple continues to work hard on Swift Assist, and I trust we will see it soon. This resource could be incredibly useful for all developers, both experienced and beginners. However, Apple needs to hurry before competitors like ChatGPT offer similar functionalities without the privacy protections that the company guarantees.