Apple Is Making Moves To Boost Its AI Capabilities!

The artificial intelligence (AI) race is heating up as tech companies reveal newer and more powerful tools for their customers.

This includes the vast capabilities of generative AI (GenAI) that have begun revolutionizing industries and redefining business processes.

All this has led to the biggest tech companies competing to capture more customers by enhancing their offerings and investing heavily in research and development of this technology.

Companies like Google, Microsoft, Oracle, OpenAI, Anthropic and others are pushing hard to lead the AI market.

On the other hand, Apple is yet to announce its presence in the industry as a reckoning force.

However, this doesn’t mean they haven’t made any moves yet. Apple is busy setting itself up in the industry through partnerships with other leaders and purchases of AI companies. Keeping to this line, the company is making a few moves that include a tie-up and acquisition.

So, what moves is Apple making? Let’s explore!
 

Who Is Apple Partnering With And Why?

 

• As per a report by Bloomberg, Apple is in talks with industry leader Google to bring its Gemini AI engine into the iPhone.

• The report cites people familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity as the deal is being kept secret. Furthermore, discussions about the terms or branding of an AI agreement and how the technology would be implemented are still on.

• The people also mentioned Apple recently meeting with OpenAI to use its model.

• The aim is to use Gemini models to power a few new AI features coming to Apple’s iPhone this year.

• However, experts believe that a deal is unlikely to be announced until June, which is when Apple plans to conduct its annual conference of developers.

• Apple, Google and OpenAI didn’t provide a comment.

• On the flip side, a deal could benefit Google reach over 2 billion Apple devices, propelling its efforts to beat Microsoft and OpenAI. This would build on the existing partnership the two companies have, where Google is the default search engine on Apple’s Safari web browser.

• However, the move could also draw the attention of US regulators looking to enforce fair play and avoid monopolies.

 

Which AI Company Did Apple Acquire?

 

• According to reports, in 2023 Apple went on a purchase spree and acquired 32 AI startups. Now, the company purchased another one in Canada-based DarwinAI, as per a report by Bloomberg.

• DarwinAI offers visual quality inspection services for manufacturers, bringing them an end-to-end solution to improve product quality and production efficiency.

• As per the report, DarwinAI can make models smaller and faster, which could be useful for Apple’s plan to bring GenAI features to its iPhone.

• While neither company has revealed this deal, numerous employees of DarwinAI have joined Apple’s machine learning teams, as per their LinkedIn profiles.

• Prior to this move, DarwinAI attracted funding from companies like BDC Capital, Honeywell Ventures, Obvious Ventures and Inovia Capital to the tune of over $15 million.

• Now BDC Capital’s website lists DarwinAI as an “Exited Company”, while Obvious Ventures’ updated portfolio mentions the startup has been acquired.

• However, BDC Capital, Obvious Ventures and Apple did not comment on the matter.

Towards the end of last year, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO addressed concerns about Apple being far behind in the AI space by talking about products made by the company that wouldn’t be possible without the use of AI, especially new features like Personal Voice and Live Voicemail present on iOS 17.

At the same time, Cook confirmed that the company was developing GenAI technologies while not disclosing what they were as the company doesn’t do that and further adding, “But you can bet that we’re investing, we’re investing quite a bit, we’re going to do it responsibly and it will — you will see product advancements over time where those technologies are at the heart of them.”

Do you think Apple can gain a top position in the AI industry despite its late start? Do you think its partnership with Google and acquisitions will help its efforts or will it hamper the company’s individual stand?

Let us know in the comments below!