Cook and his team outlined upgrades to Apple’s software ecosystem coming this year at the company’s annual developer conference, which aim to harness the power of artificial intelligence to bring a smarter Siri voice assistant and more personalized features to its devices to boost productivity.
This year’s Worldwide Developers Conference was particularly closely watched, as investors waited to see how Cook would position Apple to benefit from generative AI, amid concerns that it was falling behind its big tech competitors, according to a report by the British Financial Times. .
Tech giants, including Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon, are racing to develop new products that leverage AI, while also competing with — or in some cases partnering with — technology-focused startups, such as OpenAI, in which Microsoft has invested billions of dollars.
The OpenAI partnership will feed into Apple’s generative AI features, which it calls “Apple Intelligence” and which Cook describes as a “new personal intelligence system” based on the company’s own generative AI models and tailored to the user.
Apple has confirmed that its approach to artificial intelligence will focus on protecting user privacy, with models running locally on devices and on its cloud servers, and supported by its chips.
What’s new in Siri?
- Apple’s Siri voice assistant is getting a makeover with the company’s generative AI models. Apple promised a more natural interactive experience with a richer understanding of language.
- Siri will be able to ask questions on ChatGPT, leveraging the power of OpenAI models although it will ask the user for permission before communicating with them.
- Apple users will not need a subscription to access this feature.
- Siri will also be able to perform more detailed actions on native Apple apps.
Other features
During the conference, Apple’s executive team previewed other creative AI features that will be available on iOS 18, the latest version of the iPhone operating system, as well as on iPad and Mac later this year, including the creation of custom images and emojis.
Liu Jibei, analyst at CCS Insight, said:
- Apple Intelligence should help calm anxious investors and reassure them that Apple is keeping pace with its competitors.
- The partnership with ChatGPT is a major development that enhances Apple’s AI offerings, and new features like a greatly improved Siri will be welcome for users.
Apple also announced that it will bring the Vision Pro headset, which was released in the United States in February, to international markets. It will be possible to make pre-orders in China, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Australia this month.
Elon Musk’s position
But Tesla CEO and X owner, Elon Musk, was quick to sound the alarm about the partnership, warning that he would ban Apple devices in his companies “if Apple merges with OpenAI at the operating system level,” which he said would be “an unacceptable security violation.” .
Musk has a tense history with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. He was one of the founders of OpenAI before leaving the company in 2018. He filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing it of abandoning its original mission for the benefit of humanity.
Musk, who has his own artificial intelligence startup xAI, is also an occasional critic of Apple, which pulled ad funding from X late last year after Musk endorsed an anti-Semitic post.
Maintain competitiveness
For his part, Hussein Al-Omari, professor of computer science and information technology expert in Silicon Valley in California, explained in special statements to the “Eqtisad Sky News Arabia” website that:
- Apple used to be a leader in providing innovative technologies and improving the user experience, and it has also sought to provide generative artificial intelligence solutions as part of a larger strategy to enhance its products and services in several ways.
- Apple’s move towards generative artificial intelligence reflects its continued commitment to innovation and providing the best possible experience to its users, in addition to maintaining its competitiveness in the ever-growing and changing technology market.
He reviewed some of the reasons that prompted Apple to provide a package of generative artificial intelligence innovations to developers and consumers, which are:
- Improving user experience: AI can provide more personalized and intelligent experiences for users, for example, helping improve Siri, making personalized suggestions, and improving the performance of apps and devices.
- Competition: With the increasing reliance on artificial intelligence by companies such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, it is necessary for Apple to remain a strong competitor. To ensure that competitors do not outperform it in this field.
- Efficiency and security: AI can improve operational efficiency and security on devices, such as improving battery performance and managing resources more effectively, and delivering higher levels of security and privacy.
- Innovative applications: Artificial intelligence opens new doors for the development of innovative applications, such as smart photography, automatic video editing, and improvements in the fields of health and fitness.
- Responding to market requirements: There is an increasing demand for artificial intelligence technologies by users and institutions alike, and Apple seeks to meet these needs by integrating artificial intelligence technologies into its products.
He pointed out that Apple is currently cooperating with OpenAI to enable it to integrate ChatGPT with upcoming iOS versions, and the deal is expected to put Apple at an advanced level with other smartphone manufacturers, which have already begun to explore artificial intelligence features in their product lines. It is also expected that Some ChatGPT features are coming with iOS 18 in a few weeks.
Big transformation
He stressed that this step represents a major shift that makes Apple a major player in the field of artificial intelligence, noting that there are several factors that support this potential shift, including:
- Technology and infrastructure: Apple has the resources and infrastructure necessary to invest heavily in research and development in the field of AI, with specialized teams and research centers, which can develop new and innovative technologies.
- Products and Services: Integrating AI technologies into Apple’s products, such as iPhone, iPad, and Mac, as well as its services such as Siri and iCloud, will make these products and services more attractive and valuable to users.
- Integrated ecosystem: Apple has an integrated ecosystem of devices and services, which facilitates the adoption and integration of artificial intelligence technologies across its various products and services.
- Partnerships and acquisitions: Apple is able to enter into strategic partnerships with other companies in the field of artificial intelligence, and it can also acquire specialized companies to enhance its capabilities in this field.
- Privacy and security: Apple places great emphasis on privacy and security, which can give it a competitive advantage in the field of artificial intelligence, as it can provide smart solutions that respect users’ privacy.
Al-Omari expected that Apple’s move towards artificial intelligence will have a major impact on its progress and position in the market, especially since artificial intelligence technologies can push the company towards further growth and innovation, which strengthens its position as a leader in the technology industry.
This year’s conference was widely expected to focus on artificial intelligence as Apple looks to capitalize on one of the hottest technology trends to excite investors and consumers. But the market reaction was lukewarm, with its shares falling by 1.9 percent in Monday trading.
Avoid Nokia’s fate!
In this context, technological development and information security expert, Hisham Al-Natour, stated in exclusive statements to the “Eqtisad Sky News Arabia” website, that Apple has a fear that it will meet the same fate as Nokia, which prompted it to develop its own operating systems and provide its capabilities. On an ongoing basis, he explained that “Nokia” was a leading and pioneering company in the world of smart phones over the past many years, and made the mistake of continuing to adhere to its operating systems without a fundamental update, and despite the emergence of its competitors, the company’s blind trust remained dominant and dominant over its products and operating systems, Until she found herself among major competitors.
He added: Apple found itself going through the same scenario, and for this reason it began to correct the matter by announcing new technologies, and that it will use a new system fully supported by artificial intelligence, during the current developers conference.
He stated that the artificial intelligence that Apple intends to use in its products already exists in more than one application, including, for example, Siri, Face ID, and AIR PODS, pointing out that the company has begun searching for modifications that would be welcomed by users in order to avoid falling into Nokia’s dilemma.
Main motives
He listed the motives behind Apple’s increasing interest in developing and intensifying artificial intelligence technologies through its products and services, including:
- The company seeks to enhance the user experience, make its products more user-friendly while providing interactive features and experiences that make the user not feel bored while using its products.
- Improving performance and efficiency by providing more than one tool and improving processes to provide the user with increased productivity and reduced costs.
- Creating new business opportunities, especially since artificial intelligence technologies provide new opportunities to create immediate products and services, provide a wider scope for Apple’s markets and gain a greater competitive advantage, especially after the competition between the American and Chinese markets, as the latter has become competitive in the world of mobile and smart devices, especially Apple devices. Fifth generation. For example, there are companies competing with Apple, such as Infinix, Xiaomi, and Huawei, which have competitive prices and high specifications.
Al-Natour stressed that Apple cannot yet be a unique major player in the market among its competitors who are constantly developing, pointing out that there is an important factor that will help it do so in the future, which is that it continues to have large investments that support upcoming developments and enhance competition, given that the company is pumping Huge investments in research and development of artificial intelligence technologies and attracting top talent in this field, to enhance consumer dependence on them and their technologies.
The technological development expert stressed that in light of this intense competition, there are challenges facing Apple with the presence of leading companies such as Google, Microsoft, and major Chinese companies, indicating that its focus on artificial intelligence is likely to have a major impact on its progress and position in the market.
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