Why Apple is Not Pushing for a ChatGPT Despite Tim Cook’s Belief in AI
Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged the huge potential of artificial intelligence (AI) but stated that a number of issues still need to be addressed. While other tech giants have actively pursued AI, Apple has been relatively quiet on the topic. Is Apple playing catch up, keeping its cards too close to its chest, or simply biding its time?
It has been suggested that internal organizational issues and dysfunctional AI development processes are to blame for Apple's lack of AI developments. An article published in The Information last week suggests that Siri’s development has been a complete mess, leaving staff members frustrated with the lack of improvement in the virtual assistant's tool since its launch in 2011.
Apple's decision to end remote work in 2022 and the departure of key figures like Iain Goodfellow, Director of Machine Learning, may have also impeded the company's AI development efforts. Some sources speculate that Apple's control over its products and its commitment to privacy may be hampering AI development.
Despite these issues, Apple has been developing and iterating on AI within its products for years, with artificial intelligence embedded in their products that users may not even be aware of. For example, every iPhone 11 has a machine learning-aided camera function called "Deep Fusion" that can optimize and improve photos pixel-by-pixel in a matter of seconds.
Apple has been known to take its time when it comes to new types of technology and is rarely the first company to release them. While other tech companies rushed to release new chatbots, Apple did not pursue ChatGPT, and it has not affected the company's reputation. Apple's position in the tech industry allows them to take a careful, considered approach to AI development, rather than rushing for the sake of being at the forefront of the conversation.
The lack of an exciting flagship AI project from Apple does not mean that the company views AI as a fad. Cook himself has stated that it will be "huge," and there is no doubt that Apple is taking it seriously. Apple is likely to be biding its time and carefully assessing the development of AI before offering any exciting, publicized flagship AI projects to the world.
