For a tech giant, it looks like Apple is falling behind in the AI race for smartphones. But, iPhone users should not worry and be patient just a little while longer, as the company is reportedly "closing in" on a deal with one AI company, and in talks with another.

Apple's Choice Between OpenAI, Google

Two of the most prominent AI models are being considered to power the upcoming AI features for Apple's flagship phones, and while Google's Gemini AI was in a strong position previously, Apple was said to have "closed in on an agreement" with OpenAI.

That means that iPhones might soon have ChatGPT features instead of the Gemini chatbot, although nothing is decided yet for now. A deal will likely be agreed upon soon since the AI features are set to be released with the iOS 18, as reported by 9To5Google.

It's still unknown how the integration of the AI services would work, but it will likely be a way to enhance the iPhone's existing features, as well as add a chatbot that can execute tasks and commands through simple prompts from the user.

In a report in March, reports said that Apple was looking into cloud-based text and image generation with Gemini AI, which could already be hinting at what iPhone users can expect for the iOS 18 update. All that's left is to wait for the final deal for the chosen AI company.

As for when the upcoming OS will be announced, it is expected to take place at Apple's annual event, the Worldwide Developers Conference, which is slated to take place from June 10th to June 14th. Viewers of the event can also expect news about improvements in Apple's virtual assistant, Siri.

Apple Falling Behind in the AI Race

Compared to its largest competitor, Samsung, Apple is already lagging behind when it comes to AI, and it's not for the lack of trying. Apple is already said to be working on its own chatbot called "Apple GPT." The rumors have been around since last year but there have been no updates recently.

People can expect the company to fast-track these features, given that it has already failed on other projects. The tech giant already canceled its plans to build its own electric car, and will instead focus its resources on developing AI functions.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple is already working on its own large language model framework called "Ajax," even with the looming deals between OpenAI and Google, as reported on Mac Rumors.

It will be more capable than OpenAI's ChatGPT 3.5, and has been trained on more than 200 billion parameters. Although Apple is already working on the AI model, it doesn't have a clear strategy on how it will develop a generative AI product for its users.

The trillion-dollar company is pouring a lot of money into the project. It was mentioned that the company is spending millions of dollars a day on conversational AI research, which is expected as training AI models aren't exactly cheap with all the equipment required.