You’ve probably heard the term “generative AI” at least a few times thanks to the hugely popular ChatGPT service. The success of AI-powered chatbots not only put the spotlight on its creator, his OpenAI, but also fueled his AI arms race in the tech industry. Apple was not significantly in this race.
early this month, Google made a flurry of AI-related announcements At our annual developer conference, we announced a new AI-infused version of Search, Bard, an AI-powered chatbot that is being deployed around the world, and more. Google is not alone. Before that, Microsoft built generative AI into its long-established suite of productivity apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook in an effort to change the way more than a billion people work. In his February, Meta released its own sophisticated AI model, which has many of the same features as ChatGPT and Bard, to the public as open-source software.
But what about Apple?
Simply put, AI technology is nothing new to Apple, but iPhone makers are still, at least publicly, out of the current generative AI gold rush.
“We are at the center of the generative AI hype cycle, with big new developments happening every week,” Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart told CNET. “Apple can afford to be cautious about how it applies new technology to its ecosystem.”
OpenAI recently released a ChatGPT app for iPhone. The new app is free and brings OpenAI’s AI chatbots on the go.
Theodore Liggans/CNET
Apple’s wait-and-see attitude
Apple typically takes a wait-and-see approach when it comes to emerging technologies, and that often works for tech giants. For example, the iPad wasn’t the first tablet ever, but for many, including our CNET editors, the iPad is the best. A recent hardware example is the flip phone. Apple is the only major resistance, and Google is defeating it. The search giant, which unveiled its first foldable phone, the Pixel Fold, at its developer conference in May, hasn’t been making phones as long as Apple. However, there are rumors that a foldable iPhone, possibly known as the iPhone Flip, could launch in 2025.
Apple is taking a similar approach to generative AI, according to CEO Tim Cook. “I think it’s very important to be careful and thoughtful about how we approach these things,” Cook said at Apple’s earnings call in May, in response to a question about generative AI. . “And there are a lot of issues that need to be sorted out.
However, as AI technology develops rapidly, Apple risks falling far behind its rivals. All of Apple’s business successes have been lagging behind in certain categories. For example, the company’s smart speaker HomePod didn’t hit the market until a few years after Amazon Echo and Google Home, which have a much higher market share than Apple in the smart speaker category.
Apple isn’t the only company taking a cautious approach to the topic of AI. We’ve also heard backers of the technology itself, including OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman, who have concerns ranging from election misinformation to mass turnover.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman explained Microsoft’s AI partnership at the Bing search engine press event.
Stephen Shankland/CNET
Speaking to a Senate subcommittee last Tuesday, Altman said he was “eager” for artificial intelligence to be regulated. He also talked about the promise of artificial intelligence and discussed its potential harm. “If this technology doesn’t work, it could go very wrong,” he says.
Altman’s comments suggest that a group of AI researchers and technology leaders, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, are urging the development of more powerful AI systems than GPT-4 due to concerns about the risk of runaway without adequate guardrails. It followed a call to pause. Jeffrey Hinton, dubbed the “godfather of AI,” resigned from Google in May to allow him to freely share his concerns about the technology he helped develop, but the technology is serious to the world. He said it could cause serious harm.
Is generative AI a fit for Apple’s business?
Apple hasn’t publicly joined the generative AI battle, but a recent 9to5Mac report suggests that iPhone makers could improve the conversational abilities of their virtual assistants via AI concepts like ChatGPT. They are working on an upgrade. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
Apple hasn’t publicly discussed plans for generative AI-based products, but Cook spoke about the company’s AI focus during its earnings call in May. He cited AI-powered features such as fall and collision detection available on his latest iPhone and his Apple Watch.
“We think of AI as huge,” he says. “We will continue to carefully weave it into our products.”
AI is nothing new to Apple. Introduced 12 years ago, Siri uses speech recognition and machine learning to understand queries and provide answers. In recent months, Apple has announced camera enhancements like photo styles and the ability to cut and paste subjects from images, all of which rely on AI.
Additionally, Apple’s Macs and MacBooks, which currently run on Apple-designed M1 and M2 chips, have a dedicated neural engine with 16 cores aimed at AI and machine learning tasks. Apple says AI performance is 40% faster than older Intel chips.
In a January article detailing Apple’s M2 chipset, CNET’s Stephen Shankland said, “AI performance is expected to become increasingly important as more developers understand it. ‘ writes.
But as Greengart stresses, it makes sense for Apple to bring the technology to certain products beyond Siri, not just its current AI-powered products.
“Apple likes to be at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts,” Greengart told CNET in an email. “Generative AI fits nicely into the tools and software Apple provides for artistic and personal expression, including everything from GarageBand to photo editing to email on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. may contain.”
However, chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard probably aren’t on Apple’s plans. The underlying technology behind these chatbots is known as large scale language models and is highly resource intensive to develop. This means a huge investment in the form of computing resources, human talent and power, and it opens the door to huge corporations with enormous resources. Apple probably has those resources, but it must be a worthwhile investment for iPhone makers.
video: What it means for Apple to unveil VR at WWDC
Focus on WWDC
After Google devoted a fair amount of airtime to generative AI at its conference earlier this month, all eyes are on Apple and what Apple will reveal at its Worldwide Developer Conference on June 5th. Apple executives may offer further clues as to how iPhone makers view generative AI and how it fits into the wider business. At WWDC, Apple typically unveils new software for the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and more, and it’s possible that Apple will incorporate more AI into these updates.
Ahead of the conference, Apple previewed a number of accessibility software features coming to iOS 17, its upcoming mobile operating system. One notable drop is called Personal Voice. Uses on-device machine learning to help users at risk of language loss reproduce speech after approximately 15 minutes of training. The phone can speak a phrase you type aloud, a feature that could be a form of speech-generating AI, compatible with FaceTime and calls.
More likely, however, will be Apple’s long-awaited mixed reality headset, which will be the company’s first foray into a new hardware category since 2015. A Bloomberg report in January said the price would be around $3,000 when running on Apple’s latest version. It has a digital crown that can be switched. It’s also possible that Apple will leverage rapidly developing AI technology in its latest devices as well.
“Generative AI should keep in mind that it will not only generate text, but also other types of content such as graphics,” market researcher Will Wong of International Data told CNET. “Thus, this would be a favorable area for Apple to consider, especially if AR/VR headsets join its product portfolio.”
