As the sentences go by “Apple Intelligence now works in Apple Shortcuts” won’t inspire many people to click on the link. And that’s a shame: This change, one of the more overlooked fresh features in macOS 26, means you can employ Apple’s built-in AI to perform all sorts of tasks when designing shortcuts.
Look, I get it: Apple Intelligence makes AI a feature, not a product, and reading about features is generally less compelling than it is for full-blown products. And Apple Shortcuts — which lets you create one elementary automation to perform multiple tasks — is one of those features that’s simple to overlook. But it can save you a lot of time if you’re willing to put some effort into automating frequently performed tasks.
For example, I set up my journal using shortcuts by creating a fresh journal entry that includes information such as weather, a quote, and general structure. I employ this shortcut almost every day and it makes my life better.
Adding a vast language model to Shortcuts means it’s easier to create automations that can simplify your life. Here’s how:
How it works
Go to Apple Shortcuts, create a fresh shortcut, and you’ll see “Apple Intelligence” in the list of supported apps. There are several text actions that allow you to, for example, proofread, summarize and create a list from text. You can also create an image if you want.
However, in my opinion, the most useful action offered is “Use Model”, mainly because of its openness. This allows you to choose between three models – a completely offline and private model running on your device, a server offered by Apple using the same models, or even ChatGPT (no subscription or API key required).
You can type any prompt, which allows you to manipulate the text in many useful ways. For example, I wanted to be able to quickly copy event invitation details from a text message or email and then add them to my calendar. I created a fresh shortcut that retrieves the current text from the clipboard. I’ve added several Exploit Model steps that employ the original text and display information such as the event title, event start time, and location. I then set up a shortcut to create an event using these details.