Is artificial intelligence still far from Apple’s priorities?

Apple achieved a quality feat by showing its latest releases and innovations, including a highly developed helmet that mixes virtual and augmented reality, not to mention artificial intelligence, which has now become a key technology in everything that companies in Silicon Valley innovate.

Since US startup OpenAI launched ChatGBT last year, various tech companies have been competing in the field of creating AI.

Analysts, investors and consumers have become obsessed with these programs, which are capable of generating text, images and videos on simple demand in a fluid language.

Both Microsoft and Google have added AI technology that can be built into their search engines and Office software, with bots aimed at attracting users interested in writing their emails and planning their vacations.

Similarly, many companies, from Snapchat to banks and travel companies, have added advanced chatbots to their services to keep pace with this growth.

However, Google and Meta’s (Facebook, Instagram) neighbor in Silicon Valley, Apple, did not once mention artificial intelligence or artificial intelligence during its annual developer conference last Monday.

After the conference, the special “Wired” magazine, “Apple ignores the AI ​​revolution.”

Hiding?

Just because the iPhone manufacturer doesn’t mention artificial intelligence doesn’t mean it’s alien to this technology.

The concept of artificial intelligence is considered broad, and includes many technologies that are rare or not particularly complex, while it has been criticized because it suggests a science fiction-like future in which intelligent machines control humans.

Therefore, some companies, including TikTok and Facebook (Meta), are publishing innovations that fall under artificial intelligence without focusing on the term.

“Of course we’ve incorporated this technology into our products, but people don’t necessarily think of it as artificial intelligence,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an interview with ABC News this week.

Many of the innovations highlighted during Monday’s conference involve this technology.

For example, software manager Craig Federighi points out that “machine learning” algorithms will improve the automatic spelling correction tool.

Federighi pointed out that thanks to artificial intelligence, the keyboard will be limited when a user wants to type some common words, and it will know his preferences and give him suggestions.

However, he does not mention popular methods.

Artificial intelligence plays an important role in the first helmet of mixed reality invented by “Apple”, which is said to be released on the market next year at a starting price of $ 3,500.

The computer attached to the Vision Pro helmet can create a digital avatar of the wearer very close to reality, thanks to video recordings of the person and sensors that track the movements of his mouth and hands in real time. .

Or late?

Some observers believe that not mentioning artificial intelligence is a sign that Apple is losing ground to its competitors.

Independent analyst Rob Enderle says “Apple is far behind” its competitors in this area.

He thinks that the success achieved by ChatGBT “surprised them”, “They thought that this type of artificial intelligence would not be achieved soon (…) Now they are forced to hire a startup in this field.”

And the inconsistent performance of Apple’s voice assistant Siri, launched ten years ago, gives the impression that the giant is still lagging behind its rivals.

“It’s clear to almost everyone that Apple has lost its competitive edge with Siri,” says Yuri Wurmser of Insider Intelligence, “and Siri is perhaps the most important indicator of the company’s lagging behind in the field of artificial intelligence.”

On the other hand, the expert points out that “Apple”, first of all, is a computer equipment company. He points out that software based on artificial intelligence is for Apple “a means to improve the user experience, not an end in itself.”

Dan Ives of “Whitbush” believes that the presentation of the “Vision Pro” helmet shows the company’s capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence, although the subject was not clearly specified.

“This is the first phase of a broader corporate strategy to build a system that includes creative AI applications,” he says, in the new helmet.