Apple’s Tech Ventures Could Signal ‘Next Wave’ of Gen AI

Apple is surprising the technology industry by continuing to integrate AI into its existing products. 

In order for the company to be more accessible, Apple is focusing more on a product-based approach to AI, instead of the Gen AI platform approach of its competitors. With the generative AI (Gen AI) market set to get increasingly transformative, Apple’s position could potentially help to reshape the digital business landscape moving forward. 

In this interview with AI Magazine, Yiannis Antoniou, Head of Data, AI and Analytics at Lab49, offers some insight into Apple’s AI updates and how its OpenAI partnership stands to transform its overall technology strategies.

How do Apple's AI updates differ from the approaches of other major players in the AI industry?

By deciding to prioritise AI UX for the consumer market, Apple’s AI updates highlight a product-focused mindset that is starkly different from most of its competitors. 

This approach contrasts with the more open-ended nature of most of the Gen AI work we have seen so far from other major players. Apple’s strategy feels like AI for the masses, given the significant differences between its heavily defined approach and the more generalised set of capabilities available from its competitors.

Can you elaborate on Apple’s decision to use Small Language Models (SLMs) instead of competing directly in the foundation model arena?

Apple has made a very conscious decision not to compete in the foundation model arena by equipping its devices with powerful, state-of-the-art SLMs (Small Language Models) that can run fully on-device. 

These models come with clear privacy, security, and ethical guardrails, showcasing Apple’s commitment to Ethical and Responsible AI principles. While Apple does provide cloud-based assistance to its medium-level LLMs on its cloud for tasks that the device cannot natively perform, the primary focus is on pushing the cost and ease-of-use of AI into the hands of the users. 

This approach reduces reliance on cloud-based solutions and enhances user privacy and security.

How does Apple’s integration with OpenAI fit into its overall AI strategy?

Apple’s integration with OpenAI’s GPT-4o is also available for the heaviest of user tasks where Apple’s own models cannot compete. However, this is not the focus of its AI strategy.

Instead, Apple has focused on creating clearly defined and easy-to-sell features such as text summarisation, photo enhancements, document analysis, and general day-to-day user-centric capabilities that run on specialised models on users’ devices.

In this way, Apple is looking to become a leader in AI democratisation by putting powerful task-centric models in the hands of its users, positioning itself at the heart of the consumer AI race.

What impact do you anticipate Apple’s AI initiatives will have on the tech industry?

Apple’s AI initiatives mark the beginning of the next wave of Gen AI transformation, upending the industry by taking the Gen AI revolution to the mass market in one fell swoop. 

Just as the iPhone integrated existing technologies with new capabilities in a compelling manner, Apple’s AI initiative will drive the mainstream conversation forward, and bring forward millions of new users to the table. 

We should expect other firms to adapt their technologies to run natively on Android and Windows devices – Microsoft is already moving in this direction – and more focus from rivals on hiring product designers and UX experts to embed AI in consumer workflows. 

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