Apple seems to be sharing more about its work in artificial intelligence (AI). The company’s researchers have created a group of AI systems called MM1 that can understand and make different kinds of data, like words and pictures, at the same time. They say these new systems are really good and can think deeply and learn from the context when they answer questions about text and images.
This news suggests that Apple’s future products, such as iPhones, Mac computers, and the Siri voice assistant, could get better because of this AI system.
Apple is also planning to show off new AI features at its developer event in June.
However, there are reports that Apple has made a deal with Google. This might mean that Apple’s own AI isn’t as advanced as they want it to be. A Bloomberg article says that Apple wants to use Google’s Gemini AI engine, which has chatbots and other AI tools, in the next iPhones and the features for iOS 18.
While other tech companies have been investing a lot of money in AI and making progress, Apple hasn’t been talked about as much. Working with Google could help Apple catch up in the race to develop AI.
The report also mentions that Apple had talks with OpenAI, the creators of the popular ChatGPT chatbot.
Neither Apple, Google, nor OpenAI have made any comments when asked.
In February, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook hinted at an investor meeting that he believes generative AI has amazing potential, which is why Apple is putting a lot of money into it. However, Apple hasn’t shared much about what it plans to do with AI.
In private, Apple is said to be improving its AI that works directly on devices and buying companies like DarwinAI from Canada. They also have a team focused on making AI better.
Angelo Zino, who is a VP and senior equity analyst at CFRA Research, wrote on Monday that the latest updates probably mean that Apple’s own AI work isn’t as far along as OpenAI’s or Gemini’s.
But, he also said that making a deal shows that Apple is serious about bringing powerful AI features to iOS 18 this fall, when the new iPhones are expected to come out.
Google and Apple might work together on AI because Google already helps with Apple’s Safari search engine. But, some government people are checking if this is okay because they’re both big companies.
Some experts at Wedbush Securities think this team-up is good for both Google and Apple. They say it’s a big deal for Google to be part of Apple’s world and they’ll probably pay a lot for it. This could also help Apple make better AI stuff for iPhones and iPads.
If they team up, a thing called Gemini could be used on almost 2 billion Apple gadgets.
Wedbush also thinks this deal proves that Google is doing well with AI, even though Microsoft and OpenAI got a head start by selling their AI products first.
