Apple: It’s late to the AI race but sure and steady
Apple Inc, as we learnt this week, aims to simplify artificial intelligence (AI) for the masses in a bid to keep its users and shareholders engaged and happy. Its goal is billed as “AI for the rest of us," reminiscent of Steve Jobs’ strategy of making computers aesthetic and user-friendly. While CEO Tim Cook may lack Jobs’ charisma, he kept Apple’s allure well polished.
At least until the rise of AI, that is, particularly generative AI, a field in which it began to look like a laggard, with its Siri voice assistant outclassed by smarter AI chatbots. As a result, Apple lost its position as the world’s most valuable company to AI-focused Microsoft and even briefly to fabless chip-maker Nvidia. That Apple, Microsoft and Nvidia, all currently valued above $3 trillion, are vying for the top spot underscores just how high the AI stakes have risen.
Apple’s late but measured response to the AI race includes its launch of Apple Intelligence—a shot at making the ‘A’ of AI stand for its own name. We can expect a smarter Siri and a renewed focus on user privacy in a world rife with misinformation, scams and deepfakes. Given its consumer focus, Apple is dedicated to enhancing our AI experience even as other tech giants focus on foundational AI models and infrastructure for enterprises.
Trying to recast AI as Apple Intelligence is part of this strategy. This tactic is not unique, though; IBM uses ‘augmented intelligence,’ while Nvidia promotes ‘accelerated computing’ and Intel speaks of a ‘Siliconomy.’ That said, Apple’s AI announcements have not made tech mavens sit up, let alone rave. Yet, Apple has a history of refining and surpassing useful stuff invented by others.
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