During Apple's annual shareholder meeting on February 28, CEO Tim Cook hinted at major developments in
generative AI technology
from the company later this year. Cook said
Apple
sees "incredible breakthrough potential" for
generative AI
and is investing significantly in the area.
"Later this year, I look forward to sharing with you the ways we will break new ground in generative AI, another technology we believe can redefine the future," Cook told shareholders. While details are scarce, Cook's comments suggest Apple is poised to unveil new generative
AI
features that could compete with models like OpenAI's GPT and Google's Bard.
Behind the scenes, Apple's software engineering lead, Craig Federighi, has reportedly challenged teams to develop as many new AI features as possible for this year's operating system updates. The company usually unveils significant software updates, including iOS, at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
Generative AI has become one of the hot new things among the tech giants, with Microsoft, Google, and others racing to release models that can write prose, generate images, and more. While Apple has yet to unveil a chatbot or even a language model, Cook's comments suggest the company won't stay on the sidelines for long.
Cook reframed several current Apple
products
as "AI-powered" and highlighted how AI technology is already woven into offerings like Apple Watch health features.
Apple's CEO has previously called self-driving car technology "the mother of all AI projects." However, employees were reportedly told that Apple's secretive car project was being shuttered this week. When asked about product selection, Cook said, "much of this is about focus."
The
iPhone
maker is reported to bring AI into its core apps and services like Apple Music, XCode, Pages, Keynote, and Siri. The generative AI-powered features could be a part of the upcoming iOS 18 update, which is expected to be announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
English (US) ·