In a recent development, Apple is poised to join the ranks of tech giants venturing into the realm of generative AI technology. As per the latest insights shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, the tech behemoth headquartered in Cupertino is actively working on a suite of generative AI features geared for its iPhones, Macs, and an array of services. The report underscores Apple's ongoing dedication to generative AI, codenamed "Apple GPT," a substantial language model (SLM) project led by three distinguished senior vice presidents: John Giannandrea, Craig Federighi, and Eddy Cue.
In its initial phase, the company is directing its efforts toward enhancing Siri with generative AI capabilities, anticipated to be rolled out as early as the coming year. Furthermore, the upcoming iteration of the iPhone OS, iOS 18, is projected to incorporate a host of generative AI features. The company is also exploring ways to integrate AI functionalities within its Xcode developer's application.
Among the other areas of Apple's ecosystem, first-party apps such as Apple Music are expected to benefit from AI capabilities, including auto-generated playlists akin to the offerings of platforms like Spotify. Even applications like Pages and Keynote are in line for a substantial AI transformation.
Apple is contemplating various strategies for deploying generative AI, encompassing a self-contained on-device experience, a cloud-based model, or a hybrid approach that combines both. While on-device AI is seen as conducive to safeguarding user privacy, a cloud-based model could potentially furnish Apple with more robust AI offerings.
Apple is undoubtedly facing the need to catch up with other tech heavyweights, like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, who have already been providing diverse generative AI services to their user bases.