Tim Cook’s Apple was caught flat-footed when ChatGPT and other AI tools took the technology industry by storm. Now, after some frozen deer-in-the-headlights panic, executives are prepping to deliver AI across a wide range of devices and software.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News’ Power On:
One of the most intense and widespread endeavors at Apple Inc. right now is its effort to respond to the AI frenzy sweeping the technology industry.
The company has some catching up to do. Apple largely sat on the sidelines when OpenAI’s ChatGPT took off like a rocket last year… Now, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook says that Apple has been working on generative AI technology for years. But I can tell you in no uncertain terms that Apple executives were caught off guard by the industry’s sudden AI fever and have been scrambling since late last year to make up for lost time.
“There’s a lot of anxiety about this and it’s considered a pretty big miss internally,” a person with knowledge of the matter told Power On.
Apple’s senior vice presidents in charge of AI and software engineering, John Giannandrea and Craig Federighi, are spearheading the effort. On Cook’s team, they’re referred to as the “executive sponsors” of the generative AI push. Eddy Cue, the head of services, is also involved, I’m told. The trio are now on course to spend about $1 billion per year on the undertaking.
Giannandrea is overseeing development of the underlying technology for a new AI system, and his team is revamping Siri in a way that will deeply implement it. This smarter version of Siri could be ready as soon as next year…
MacDailyNews Take: Thanks to the products Steve Jobs built, the company can now afford to be somewhat reactive at times. For a company like Apple, generative AI is not tremendously difficult; it’s what it’s fed that’s most important, followed by where it’s done: on-device-only (high privacy), cloud-only (encrypted, hopefully), or some mix of the two.
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Of course!
Hey Siri, I don’t like that song.
“Ok. Got it.”
[continues playing the same song]
Steve Jobs was a visionary. Currently, I don’t see anybody at or near the helm who can be called a true visionary (other than, perhaps Johny Srouji). Invention by committee rarely works well.
Shockingly, a visionless caretaker CEO who seems to care less about technology than about the socialist “Global Warming” scam to fleece money from rich countries in order to subsidize the third world was blindsided.
Everyone, regardless of their current political bent, should read this:
The Day the Delusions Died
A lot of people woke up on October 7 as progressives and went to bed that night feeling like conservatives. What changed?
https://www.thefp.com/p/the-day-the-delusions-died-konstantin-kisin
Siri must be the principal advisor.
I wouldn’t necessarily say Apple or Tim Cook were caught unaware of generative AI. Apple’s modus operandi has never been to be the first with a new major technology…and if your honest, you can see the initial shit-show results that were being reported by generative AI that hit the news. When Apple releases its take on it, expect a polished service.
Tim Cook: “Generative what?”
Siri is the best place for LLM/chat-based AI, and it’s a huge shame Apple didn’t get there. But I suspect we’ll see a repeat of the Apple track record. Not first to market, but best implementation.
Most of what I’ve seen in AI is poorly done. Apple platforms, products, and devices should be the best place to interact with AI in most cases, so they have a real shot at it still.
Good AI will power Siri, the best 3rd party AI product experiences will be delivered on Apple devices, and one day generative AI will even power immersive spatial experiences.
Gee, what a surprise. Let’s face it, the only issue Cook has his radar set to 24/7 — not being flat-footed on iPhone profits and yearly iPhone releases to please the money masters and appease the Chinese.
You’ve heard it before from numerous posts — Cook is not a visionary creative genius who senses the ebb and flow of technology. Not an original thought on anticipating tech trends and RESPONDING with a trail blazing response.
Everything, including the expensive Apple googles already released by other companies during his tenure. Me-too better is fine, but we need a CEO visionary in the mold of Steve Jobs. Scott Forstall was the closest worldwide and instead of promoting him, the threatened status quo fat & rich cabal forced him out.
Long OVERDUE to right that wrong…