It is increasingly evident that Apple is taking AI seriously, between Tim Cook’s praise of generative AI at the company’s second quarter earnings call to the posted 28 AI-related jobs in May alone. As uncovered by TechCrunch, there are currently 88 open jobs at Apple related to AI – indicating an active effort to invest in the technology. In addition to the recent rumors that ChatGPT has been banned internally, the Wall Street Journal has also reported that Apple is creating its own powerful language models.
If this is true, the company would likely be constructing its own ChatGPT alternative or AI chatbot for its products, particularly Siri. The recent iOS update is evidence of Apple’s progress on this front, and as the accuracy of ChatGPT diminishes due to its illegality, it is becoming more important for Siri to show innovation. Google’s switch to Bard further emphasizes this need.
Aside from an AI chatbot, Apple has a variety of software, such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and its office suite, where AI could easily provide an extra layer of assistance. We could see Apple’s approach revealed as soon as the World Wide Developer (WWDC) Conference next month, though the company’s priority will likely be the release of their Reality Pro mixed reality headset.
The company and its CEO Tim Cook have shown themselves to be trailblazers in many aspects of technology, being more willing to innovate than imitate. It will be interesting to see the implications of this willingness to develop generative AI as they venture into new and ambitious projects.
