For better or worse, Apple is escaping the AI ​​hype train

Five minutes at Google’s I/O conference in May, ledge The staff began placing bets on how many times “AI” would be mentioned on stage. It seemed that every presenter had to say this at least once or be stuck with a cattle prod by Sundar Pichai. (Finally, we stopped betting and got a supercut.) Looking at WWDC, however, the book steered in the opposite direction: Would someone from Apple mention “AI” Absolutely, It turns out, no, not even once.

Of course, the technology was referred to, but always in the form of “machine learning” – a more sober and technically accurate description. As many people who work in the field will tell you, “artificial intelligence” is a pretty haughty term: both more reminiscent of science-fiction mythology and overhyped than actual, tangible technology. author Ted Chiang puts it nicely in a recent interview: What is artificial intelligence? “a bad choice of words” 1954,

Apple’s AI allergy is nothing new. The company has long been institutionally wary of “AI” as a force of techno-magical power. Instead, its priority is to emphasize the functionality of machine learning, highlighting the benefits it provides to users like a company that pleases customers. as put by Tim Cook an interview with good Morning America Today, “we integrate it into our products (but) people don’t necessarily think of it as AI.”

And what does it look like? Well, here are some of the machine learning-powered features that were mentioned at this year’s WWDC that are spread across Apple’s ecosystem:

• improved autocorrect “powered by on-device machine learning” in iOS 17;
• a personalized volume feature for AirPods that “uses machine learning to understand environmental conditions and listening preferences”;
• an improved smart stack on watchOS that “uses machine learning to show you relevant information when you need it”;
• a new iPad lock screen that animates Live Photos using a “machine learning model to synthesize additional frames”;
• “Intelligently Curated” prompts in the new Journal app using “on-device machine learning”;
• and 3D avatars for video calls on Vision Pro generated using “advanced ML techniques”

Aside from the 3D avatars, these are all pretty rote: welcome additions but far from world-changing features. In fact, when placed next to the huge swing the Vision Pro took for its launch, the strategy looks not only conservative, but sneaky and perhaps even unwise. Given recent advances in AI, the question has to be asked: Is Apple missing out?

The answer is “partially yes and partly no.” But first it’s helpful to compare the company’s outlook with that of its closest tech rivals: Google, Microsoft and Meta.

Of this trio, Meta is the most subdued. It’s certainly working on AI tools (like Mark Zuckerberg’s mysterious “persona” and AI-powered advertising) and is happy to publicize its often industry-leading research, but a bigger push into the metaverse is less for AI. The place has been abandoned. In contrast, Google and Microsoft have gone all in. At I/O, Google announced a whole family of AI language models, along with new assistant features in Docs and Gmail, and experiments like AI Notebook. At the same time, Microsoft is rapidly overhauling its search engine Bing, stuffing AI into every corner of the office, and rebranding its failed digital assistant Cortana as the new AI-powered Copilot. These are the companies that are seizing the AI ​​moment, squeezing it hard, and expecting a lot of money to drop.

So should Apple do the same? It can be possible? Well, I would argue that it is not need From – or at least, not to the same degree as its rivals. Apple is a company built on hardware, specifically the iPhone and its ecosystem. There’s no pressure to reinvent search like Google or improve productivity software like Microsoft. All it needs to do is keep selling phones, and it does that by making iOS as intuitive and welcoming as possible. (Of course, there’s a new hardware platform to dominate, which may or may not emerge alongside the Vision Pro.)

I think there’s only one area where Apple is missing out on AI adoption. That’s Siri. The company’s digital assistant has been a laughing stock for years, and although Apple arguably invented the digital assistant as a consumer market, it’s clear that it’s no longer a priority for the firm. The most important Siri news at this year’s WWDC was that its trigger phrase has been shortened from “Hey Siri” to “Siri”. That’s it. In a world where AI language models are vastly improving computers’ ability to parse language and opening up new possibilities in areas such as education and health, Apple’s biggest announcement was creating a wake word for a product, Most of us shorten it to just three letters.

Of course there is reason to be cautious. As Cook mentioned in his GMA There are all kinds of problems associated with software like ChatGPT, from bias to misinformation in interviews. And an image-obsessed corporation like Apple would be especially wary of the headlines of Bing and Bard’s launch. But how long can the company sit on the sidelines? And will the push into VR distract it from comparably attainable rewards in AI? We’ll have to wait until the next WWDC. And start counting the mentions of “machine learning”.