Apple is using AI to fix Safari’s extension problem

Apple is trying to solve one of Safari’s biggest weaknesses with AI. Safari has long lacked the robust library of extensions that its rivals have, mainly due to the stringent development requirements from Apple . But now, Apple is inviting users to essentially vibe code their own extensions. In a demo shared by Apple , the company showed how you can ask Safari to create an extension by describing it. “Save and track cooking recipes from around the web,” the prompt said. “Click the toolbar button to see your saved recipes and add notes to each.” From there, Safari used Apple Intelligence to generate a “Recipe Keeper” extension that’s supposed to do just that. If the feature actually works, it could help fill the gap left by the Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox extensions not available on Safari. It should also appeal to those building an arsenal of personal software for themselves with AI. Safari is playing catch-up with rival browsers in other areas as well. Over the past couple of years, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox have quickly snapped up new AI features, while Safari has largely lagged behind as Apple slowly fed AI into its products. Until now, Safari’s AI toolset has been slim compared to competitors, as it has just offered AI summaries of webpages through a Highlights feature. Aside from an extension-making feature, Apple revealed a new AI-powered feature for Safari that will automatically sort your tabs into categories based on what’s in them. …