Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have caught the attention of the tech and business community, and Apple CEO Tim Cook is no exception. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have gained public attention but have also faced criticism due to safety risks.
Apple CEO Tim Cook states that AI will eventually affect every service and product that we have. Cook adds that AI will become a major focus at Apple due to its incredible features that can enrich customers' lives.
Tim Cook's Comments On AI's Popularity
During Apple's quarterly earnings call, Swiss Credit's Shannon Cross asked Tim Nook about how Apple feels about 'generative AI' since it's become such a hot topic. Tim Cook states that he wouldn't comment on product roadmaps but praises the potential of AI and ChatGPT, calling it "very interesting."
However, he adds that it is also essential to be thoughtful and deliberate regarding how AI is used. Business leaders, like Elon Musk, have also called out to developers to pause their training of AI models by citing potential safety risks.
Cook pointed out that Apple has already integrated AI and machine learning across several of its services and products. Apple used AI in features such as crash detection, fall detection, and the Apple Watch's electrocardiogram (ECG) feature that allows users to record their heartbeat and rhythm.
The Apple CEO states, "These things are not only great features, but they're also saving people's lives out there." Cook declined to get more specific about their plans for implementing AI, but they will continue to invest in related technologies for Apple products.
Related Article: Apple Blocks Update To Email App With ChatGPT Tech
Siri Lags Behind Competition
Despite what Cook said, the AI situation inside Apple is not very favorable for those working in the Siri and AI teams. Even Apple employees do not favor Siri and agree that Apple's virtual assistant is not as good as its competitors, especially against OpenAI's ChatGPT technology.
According to New York Times, the excitement surrounding chatbots shows how Siri and other voice assistants have "squandered their lead in the AI race."
Employees at Apple have stated that Siri's database has become "clunky." It can take weeks to update Siri with new "basic features."
Siri lags behind their major competitors, and part of this is due to Apple's concerns about privacy. OpenAI relies on collecting as much data as it can, while Siri and other AI-based features only rely on data locally on Apple devices.
Due to this, Apple has been losing its key AI and machine learning developers and engineers to Google and other big companies.
Apple's employees have criticized Siri's shortcomings and have proposed a number of large language model improvements that they hope to launch in an iOS version next year.
It's unclear whether Apple plans to introduce its own generative AI service at WWDC 2023 in June. However, it's unlikely that Apple will launch a chatbot competitor in the next term considering recent reports.
