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Apple once led the way in AI services. It released its Siri digital assistant in 2011, beating out Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant. But it quickly fell behind its competitors, and that was before ChatGPT debuted in 2022.
In November of that year, OpenAI’s chatbot launched, capturing consumers’ imaginations and prompting tech giants to scramble to develop their own AI services. Since then, Apple’s biggest peers have all made inroads. Google’s Gemini chatbot is vying with ChatGPT for supremacy in the nascent market. Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest backer, has begun incorporating its AI-assisted Copilot into its software. Amazon has also shown off an AI-enhanced version of Alexa.
Apple is racing to catch up with its competitors in the field of artificial BroadCast Unitedligence.Credit: James Alcock
Apple, by contrast, has so far been quiet about its AI ambitions. Cook said last year that the company would move cautiously into new areas and would only add AI technology “on a very thoughtful basis.” More recently, he argued that Apple will have an advantage in AI because it “seamlessly integrates hardware, software, and services.”
Behind the scenes, Apple employees have been working to deliver on that promise. Around the time of ChatGPT’s launch, a small team in the company’s artificial BroadCast Unitedligence and software engineering departments began developing a ChatGPT competitor using a framework called Ajax.
Software chief Craig Federighi pushed managers to pack as much AI as possible into the latest version of the iPhone and iPad operating system, known internally as Crystal. Eddy Cue’s services division began work on developing new data center infrastructure to support online AI services. Employees also began looking at how to bring AI to Apple Music and the company’s office productivity apps.
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Apple found that its AI was good enough to power features like voice memo transcription and photo editing, as well as new search capabilities in its Safari web browser and automatic replies in apps like Messages. But it determined early on that OpenAI and Google were far ahead in chatbots and instant assistance.
That puts Apple in a bind. The company’s own technology isn’t mature yet, and executives worry that rogue chatbots could damage the company’s reputation. Some inside Apple even have a philosophical aversion to chatbots, people familiar with the matter said.
But it was clear at the time that consumers wanted such a service from Apple, which set the company on a path to partner with OpenAI. Months earlier, the company began meeting with the startup, as well as Google and other chatbot providers, about integrating the technology into its iOS software.
By outsourcing chatbot functionality, Apple can distance itself from the technology itself, including its occasional inaccuracies and hallucinations, the people said. But it also ties Apple to a startup beset by turmoil and controversy. Altman, 39, was briefly fired last year for unspecified reasons. Recently caused the anger of movie star Scarlett Johansson Get AI-like voices.
While Apple is still in talks with Google about using Gemini in its devices, the iPhone maker struck a deal with OpenAI first. Apple may eventually offer some third-party chatbots, but the company will negotiate on a case-by-case basis, according to people familiar with the matter.
One of the people familiar with the matter said Apple chose OpenAI as its first AI partner for several reasons. First, OpenAI’s business terms were better than those offered by Google, and second, Apple believed OpenAI’s technology was the best on the market. Integrating Google AI into the iPhone could also give the impression that Apple’s biggest technology rival had beaten it to the punch in an important new area.
At the same time, OpenAI will gain huge exposure by being deeply integrated into the world’s best-selling smartphones and tablets. However, Apple’s involvement may bring new scrutiny to security and privacy issues surrounding ChatGPT. Depending on how deeply Apple plans to integrate the chatbot with its software, it may also mean that OpenAI can access personal information, which may make some users uneasy.
But Apple is expected to offer its new AI features as optional services, so customers can easily opt out of them if they choose, according to people familiar with the matter.
In any case, the OpenAI agreement may be just a stopgap measure. Apple has a long history of bringing outside technology in-house, such as replacing Intel chips with its own.
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Apple is also looking beyond chatbots: The company plans to use large language models — a key technology behind generative artificial BroadCast Unitedligence — to power a pair of robotic devices it is developing in secret, according to people familiar with the matter.
These include a tabletop robotic arm with a large iPad-like display. The company has also been working on a mobile robot that can follow users around the house and do chores for them. The company also plans to equip its AirPods with cameras and AI capabilities.
More immediately, Kittlaus said, Siri is finally getting a chance to live up to its potential, which could bring some vindication to the company that hatched the dream of an BroadCast Unitedligent personal assistant under co-founder Steve Jobs.
“There are no longer any technological limitations to achieving Siri’s original vision,” Kittlaus said.
Bloomberg
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