“When it comes to the companies that are leading the charge into artificial intelligence (AI), Apple has always been something of a black sheep,” Danny Vena writes for The Motley Fool. “Leaders in the field like Alphabet, Amazon.com, and Microsoft have aggregated their data in the cloud, which resulted in AI systems that could learn more quickly thanks to the constant stream of new data.”
“Apple has been more focused on user privacy and has taken a different path. The company has used differential privacy, a technique that is capable of identifying trends without transmitting personal data,” Vena writes. “There has been an unintended consequence of this approach, and Apple stands to reap the rewards.”
“By focusing on the privacy of its users, Apple was forced to innovate in a particular area of the technology. The company has focused on at-the-edge or on-device computing, which moves the AI capabilities from the cloud to the device itself, allowing it to use AI offline,” Vena writes. “With its longtime emphasis on protecting user privacy and data, Apple has gained the lead in the realm of offline AI. Maybe it wasn’t unintended after all.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Those who hand over their personal data and relinquish their privacy to companies like Google are fools.
People who value privacy and security use Apple products. — MacDailyNews, September 12, 2015
SEE ALSO:
Google collects Android settlers’ locations even when location services are ‘disabled’ – November 27, 2017
Apple: Privacy is a fundamental right – September 27, 2017
Apple begins mining browsing data in Safari via differential privacy – September 26, 2017
Apple explains how it’s making Siri smarter without endangering user privacy – September 11, 2017
Apple’s cutting-edge ‘differential privacy’ is opt-in – June 24, 2016
Apple’s cutting-edge ‘differential privacy’ offers unique option for technology users – June 20, 2016
Apple’s use of cutting-edge tech will peek at user habits without violating privacy – June 16, 2016
Apple seeks to use AI to keep Google off your iPhones, iPads, and Macs – June 15, 2016
Edward Snowden: Apple is a privacy pioneer – June 5, 2015
Tim Cook gets privacy and encryption: We shouldn’t surrender them to Google – June 4, 2015
Tim Cook attacks Google, U.S. federal government over right to privacy abuses – June 3, 2015
The price you’ll pay for Google’s ‘free’ photo storage – June 3, 2015
Apple CEO Tim Cook champions privacy, blasts ‘so-called free services’ – June 3, 2015
Passing on Google Photos for iOS: Read the fine print before you sign up for Google’s new Photos service – June 1, 2015
Why Apple’s Photos beats Google Photos, despite price and shortcomings – May 30, 2015
Is Apple is losing the photo wars? – May 29, 2015
How Google aims to delve deeper into users’ lives – May 29, 2015
Apple CEO Cook: Unlike some other companies, Apple won’t invade your right to privacy – March 2, 2015
Survey: People trust U.S. NSA more than Google – October 29, 2014
Edward Snowden’s privacy tips: ‘Get rid of Dropbox,” avoid Facebook and Google – October 13, 2014
Apple CEO Tim Cook ups privacy to new level, takes direct swipe at Google – September 18, 2014
Apple will no longer unlock most iPhones, iPads for government, police – even with search warrants – September 18, 2014
U.S. NSA watching, tracking phone users with Google Maps – January 28, 2014
U.S. NSA secretly infiltrated Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide, Snowden documents say – October 30, 2013
Google has already inserted some U.S. NSA code into Android – July 10, 2013
Court rules NSA doesn’t have to reveal its semi-secret relationship with Google – May 22, 2013
This is where Apple’s “neural engine” comes into play a year or two from now when the hardware and software combine to make Siri – and everything else from updated FacialID to grammar checking to augmented reality to true artificial intelligence – actually shine. The A13 chip’s neural engine will probably make the A11’s look like a MacPro compared to a 1960 minicomputer. And this will all be on the device with total privacy unlike google.
The Qualcomm 845 chip expected to be used in the next wave of Android flagship devices includes a SoC for AI optimized for Google’s Tensorflow enabling more efficient on-board and offline ‘neural’ level processing. Apple may have to keep their foot on the pedal or risk being passed in the next few years. Google will have the advantage of enabling the same AI platform online and offline first. Definitely will make the next few years very competitive on all sides.
7 years later I guess Apple squandered the expected lead that they had. Today even without any specialized chip like the Neural engine, the vast majority of Android phones enjoy offline live captions, and text/image language translation.
My real intelligence is frequently offline, too, so maybe this technology will help.
For all the progress that the Personal Computer (yes, with Apple as one of the pioneers) brought, we’ve gone full mainframe again, at Apple’s lead.
This is great news. Maybe Apple will install a chip in Tim Cook’s head.
You actually think that’s funny? You’re how old?
Old enough to satisfy you mom and sisters.
“The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody’s gonna go to school today
She’s going to make them stay at home…” – The Boomtown Rats – I Don’t Like Mondays