AI is increasingly becoming one of the major focal points of the tech industry, with many of the biggest corporations exploring ways to implement the technology into their products and services. Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook made comments on the potential of AI in the industry, citing its huge potential. However, despite the numerous AI-driven projects that rival companies are developing, Apple has remained relatively silent on this front. What’s causing this slow approach?
Organizational issues and dysfunctional AI development processes have been suggested as one of the causes. A recent report from The Information laid out members of Apple’s AI and machine learning group lagging behind appreciable improvements for virtual assistant tool Siri, with some staff members reportedly feeling frustrated. The company’s choice to end remote work in 2022, which caused several important figures, such as Iain Goodfellow, Director of Machine Learning, to leave, only added further to the problem. Additionally, some sources attribute their struggle in the AI space to their commitment to privacy, potentially hindering their development.
There has been some movement in the AI space from Apple, as highlighted by CEO Cook’s comments, although he didn’t give much insight as to their roadmap. Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman recently revealed that the company is creating an AI-powered health app, which will suggest to users tailored personalized health advice.
It would be wrong to suggest Apple are drastically behind the competition in terms of AI development – they have been experimenting and building with AI for some time. For example, the “Deep Fusion” feature, in the iPhone 11, is powered by AI technology, allowing the creation of vastly improved photographs.
People are quick to shout out Apple as lagging behind on AI, but with such a huge cash reserve and an array of world-known products, they don’t have to prove themselves to anybody. Furthermore, the company itself isn’t as reliant on AI for immediate effects as some of their rivals. Google had to rush their chatbot Bard in response to ChatGPT, leading to large amounts of ridicule, and Meta’s ambitious ‘metaverse’ research failed to live up to expectations thus far.
Apple is known for their innovativeness, but when it comes to the emergence of technologies, they often take a wait and see approach. AI technology is a conversation they could easily be at the forefront of, yet they are happy to hang back and observe until they are sure they have a successful solution. They may not have the loudest voice, but Apple is in no means far behind in AI development.
