The tech giant is working on various Apple generative AI features, such as a smarter Siri, a chatbot, and AI integration in apps and services. The company is spending $1 billion per year on AI research.
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Generative AI: The Technology That Can Create Content
Generative AI is a branch of artificial intelligence that can create content such as text, images, and audio. It uses large models that are trained on massive amounts of data to generate new content based on a given input or prompt.
Some examples of generative AI applications are text summarization, image captioning, speech synthesis, music composition, and more. Generative AI can also be used for tasks such as data augmentation, content moderation, and personalization.
Apple’s Surprise and Catch-Up Effort
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s executives were surprised by the sudden popularity of generative AI in the industry and have been working hard to catch up since late last year.
In his “Power On” newsletter, Gurman revealed that Apple CEO Tim Cook claimed that Apple has been working on generative AI technology for years, but the company was actually “caught off guard” by the interest and progress of other players such as Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI.
The company’s AI efforts are led by John Giannandrea, senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, and Eddy Cue, senior vice president of services.
A New Version of Siri Powered by Apple Generative AI
One of the main projects that Giannandrea’s team is developing is a new version of Siri that uses generative AI to provide better responses and interactions. Gurman said that this version of Siri could be ready by next year.
The new Siri would be able to handle more complex queries and tasks, such as booking a flight or ordering food. It would also be able to generate more natural and conversational speech, as well as understand the context and intent of the user.
AI Features in iOS and Apps
Federighi’s team is responsible for implementing AI features in the next major version of iOS using Apple’s large language model (LLM). LLM is a model that can process and generate natural language at scale.
One of the features that Federighi’s team is working on is a new interaction between Siri and the Messages app that will allow users to ask complex questions and complete sentences more easily. For example, users could ask Siri to send a message to a friend about their favorite movie or restaurant.
Federighi’s team is also exploring the possibility of using AI to help developers code faster in Xcode, Apple’s integrated development environment. The idea is to use generative AI to suggest or complete code snippets based on the developer’s input or context. This would be similar to Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot service, which uses OpenAI’s Codex model to assist developers with coding.
Cue’s team is trying to add AI features to as many Apple apps as possible, such as auto-generated playlists in Apple Music and writing or presentation assistance in Pages and Keynote. The goal is to use Apple generative AI to enhance the user experience and provide more value.
Apple is also testing generative AI for internal customer service apps within AppleCare. The company is using generative AI to create chatbots that can answer common questions or issues from customers. The chatbots would be able to understand natural language and generate appropriate responses.
Apple’s $1 Billion Investment in AI Research
Apple is reportedly spending $1 billion per year on AI research. The company is hiring more AI experts and acquiring more AI startups. The company is also building more data centers and servers to support its AI initiatives.
Apple is debating whether to use Apple generative AI on-device, in the cloud, or in a hybrid way. On-device Apple generative AI would offer more privacy and security, but it would require more computing power and storage. Cloud-based generative AI would offer more scalability and flexibility, but it would raise privacy and security concerns. Hybrid Apple generative AI would combine both approaches to balance the trade-offs.
Apple GPT: A Chatbot Tool to Rival OpenAI
Gurman also mentioned that Apple is working on a chatbot tool that some engineers call “Apple GPT” to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a model that can generate realistic and engaging conversations based on a given topic or persona.
Apple GPT would be a tool that allows developers to create chatbots using Apple’s generative AI technology. The chatbots could be used for various purposes, such as entertainment, education, or business. Apple GPT could also be integrated with Siri or other Apple apps or services.
