Apples AI Bet

Apple is stepping up its AI game with a significant annual investment of $1 billion, reports from Bloomberg reveal on October 23rd. The tech giant seems intent on addressing the perception that it has fallen behind its rivals in this arena. Sources suggest Apple insiders are feeling a sense of urgency about this matter, with existing policies viewed as a major internal oversight.

Heading this new AI initiative are three key Apple executives. John Giannandrea, the Senior VP of Machine Learning and AI Strategy, is spearheading the development of the AI system’s core technology. His team is also fine-tuning Apple’s digital assistant, Siri, to harness the power of this new AI.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior VP of Software Engineering, leads a dedicated group focused on infusing AI features into iOS. Their work will further integrate AI with Siri, Messaging, and Xcode applications.

Overseeing another team is Eddy Cue, Senior VP of Internet Software and Services. This group is dedicated to embedding AI features into a wide range of apps, including Music, Pages, Keynote, and customer service applications.

While Apple has acknowledged the importance of generative AI in many of its products, previous efforts have largely been confined to specific features like auto-correct, speech transcription, and error detection. Unlike competitors such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Bing, Apple has not yet released a publicly available AI assistant. Their in-house equivalent, Ajax, remains for internal use only.