The world of artificial intelligence is about to experience another significant shift. Apple, the renowned tech giant, is reportedly immersing itself in the development of a new AI tool, unofficially known as ‘Apple GPT’, possibly standing as a counterpart to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. As AI services expand rapidly, Apple seems to have made the topic a top priority.
Riding the AI wave
According to sources, Apple has constructed an ‘Ajax’ framework for sizeable language models such as ChatGPT, Bing by Microsoft, and Google’s Bard. This has paved the way for the development of an internal chatbot, humorously nicknamed ‘Apple GPT’ by some engineers. However, it remains uncertain how Apple plans to morph this tool into a consumer-ready product.
Apple’s stance in the AI arena
The rising popularity of AI chatbots has seemingly stirred Apple’s concerns over trailing behind in adopting groundbreaking AI technologies, which are reshaping how people engage with their smartphones. Currently, the in-progress chatbot application is limited to Apple employees with special access, its purpose mainly to assist product prototyping. It responds to inquiries based on data Apple used for its training.
The Ajax platform, interestingly, is built upon Google’s Jax machine learning framework and operates on Google Cloud. Despite considering an alliance with OpenAI and testing their technology for corporate teams, Apple eventually declined the collaboration.
Prioritizing privacy
Apple’s focus on AI isn’t new. With multiple teams working on AI projects, they are tackling various issues, including privacy concerns. This emphasis on privacy, evident in their Siri personal assistant, places them as more conservative than their competitors, which has drawn some criticism regarding Siri’s limitations.
During a recent earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed the complexities of AI, stressing the need for a careful and thoughtful approach to its development. He also hinted at Apple’s continuous efforts to incorporate AI into their products judiciously.
The road ahead
There is no definite timeline for the release of a consumer-facing chatbot from Apple. However, the company consistently refines its machine learning features with each software update. For instance, the predictive text function in iOS 17 has seen significant improvement.
Apple might be planning to announce a ‘major’ AI development in 2024, but no concrete plans are in place yet. AI head John Giannandrea and software engineering chief Craig Federighi are reportedly leading Apple’s AI initiative, though disagreements over product development reportedly need to be addressed.
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