The advent of OpenAI’s ChatGPT has awakened a frenzy within the tech industry, with rivals such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon all vying to copy the concept. Curiously absent from the battle for dominance, however, is the world’s largest company – Apple. While the rest of the giants have responded to the ChatGPT challenge with considerable zeal, Apple seems to be tight-lipped about its own generative AI strategy.
Siri, Apple’s first foray into AI-powered voice assistants, was a promising effort, with the hope of revolutionary capabilities. Sadly, its development has been deemed inadequate and its age is clearly showing in the wake of ChatGPT’s popularity. Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon have all made great strides in AI research and development, with Microsoft devoting over $10 billion to OpenAI, Google’s focus on responding to ChatGPT, and Amazon even introducing AI into its Cloud division.
It would seem, however, that Apple has been mostly left behind in all the hype. A summit discussing machine learning and other AI-related technology was held in February, but there was no hint of any product related to generative AI. While several of Apple’s devices have seen improvements thanks to AI technology, such as the Photographic Styles of the iPhone camera and the self-driving car and headset projects, these improvements focus more on the user experience rather than voice assistance alone.
The lack of a clear generative AI strategy from Apple suggests that the company has been taken by surprise. The original leader in AI technology has now been left behind and Apple’s rivals have taken charge. Perhaps with a little effort, Apple can bring its AI up to date, but until then, the rivals will remain in the lead.
Steve Jobs, co-founder of the infamous tech giant, would likely be disappointed with the state of Apple’s AI today. It’s safe to assume had he not passed away, there likely wouldn’t be such a huge gap between Apple’s AI and that of its competitors.
It’s clear that Apple still has a lot of work to do before it can become a real contender in the AI arms race. The current lack of a generative AI strategy could put Apple at a serious disadvantage, and time will tell exactly how their AI capabilities will develop.
