Apple Reportedly Joins the Generative AI Bandwagon
Apple, too, wants a piece of the generative AI pie.
- Apple is reportedly marking its presence in the generative AI space with Apple GPT, a tool its engineers developed late last year.
- Apple employees can use Apple GPT through a web application interface for prototyping, text summary, and answering questions.
- However, employees cannot use any output from Apple GPT to develop new customer-centric features.
Apple is reportedly building an AI chatbot to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and others. According to a Bloomberg report, the iPhone maker, which until now dubiously mum on AI developments since ChatGPT’s release in November 2022, is tacitly working on the tool.
Called Apple GPT internally, it is unclear when the AI tool would hit the markets. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman noted that Apple hopes to make a “significant AI-related announcement next year” even as it devises its broader go-to-market strategy.
Apple GPT would be based on Ajax, an internal framework the company created last year for AI-driven updates to Siri and Apple Maps. Ajax is based on Google’s JAX, a machine learning framework running on Google Cloud. Apple now seeks to standardize AI development tools and is pooling in the proprietary framework Ajax to create large language models for Apple GPT.
ChatGPT was until Threads usurped it in July, the fastest-growing app in internet history, rising to 100 million users in just a couple of months since being launched. ChatGPT’s rollout sparked an AI race in the technology sector, with Microsoft seemingly ahead, both in terms of the tech stack and its consumer-driven implementations through its investment in and collaboration with ChatGPT creator OpenAI.
Google, Meta, and Amzaon are closely behind through respective AI tools, although the latter seems to focus more on enabling AI development than adopting a consumer-driven approach. Beyond Big Tech, Midjourney, Crayon, and Wombo have also made their presence felt in the generative AI space.
See More: OpenAI Faces Its First Serious Regulatory Turbulence Over ChatGPT
It seems Apple, too, wants a piece of the generative AI pie. Gurman notes, “Behind the scenes, Apple has grown concerned about missing a potentially paramount shift in how devices operate.” Apple earned $394.32 billion in revenue, the bulk of which came from devices. Pushing for generative AI could help the company diversify a bit. Moreover, it can help Apple devices keep up with competitors.
In an opinion piece for Spiceworks, Assaf Baciu, co-founder And COO at Persado, wrote, “At the enterprise level, generative AI has the potential to scale business communications, improve customer experiences, and increase revenue while differentiating your brand from the competition.”
“With that, it’s imperative to note that having unencumbered access to these flashy and enticing new tools also comes with its own levels of risk. Understanding generative AI — and being intentional with its use — is almost, if not equally, as important as the results you’re trying to achieve.”
The company even banned ChatGPT use internally over security and privacy concerns. Simultaneously, Apple has also renewed its hiring efforts for AI development, as evident from the number of job postings on its website.
Apple has 179 vacancies in the U.S. under the ‘Machine Learning and AI’ category. Globally, the number stands at 224, of which 198 were posted in 2023 and 26 were posted in July 2023.
Apple GPT, however, was initially created by a small team within the company last year as an experiment. While Apple is allowing more employees to use it through a web application interface for prototyping, text summary, and answering questions, the company has disallowed employees from using any output from Apple GPT to develop new customer-centric features.
Can Apple catch up with OpenAI, Google, and others in the generative AI race? Share your thoughts with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. We’d love to hear from you!
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