Every major tech corporation is seemingly rushing to chase the buzzing AI bubble. Microsoft, Google, and Anthropic are arguably among the top players in the landscape with the Redmond giant showing great potential, partly due to its OpenAI-tie up. Microsoft's deal with OpenAI grants it advanced flagship models that it has integrated across its tech stack on an exclusive basis. On the other hand, Apple may be considered a late bloomer in the AI landscape with critics indicating the iPhone maker's Apple Intelligence offering could be two years behind OpenAI's ChatGPT even before it ships.
However, a leaked memo from the company potentially sheds a bit of light on its plans going into 2025, specifically in its fairly new AI division. As you may know, the company’s Apple Intelligence strategy is rolling out in waves and is limited to iPhone 15 Pro or later.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is reportedly transitioning veteran project manager Kim Vorrath into its SIri and AI division to bolster its efforts by "whipping artificial intelligence and Siri into shape." Per the leaked memo from Apple AI lead John Giannandrea, the AI division will be focused on overhauling SIri’s infrastructure and improving the company’s in house AI models.
Apple only dabbled its foot in AI last year during its annual WWDC event. While companies such as OpenAI had a significant lead AI, giving it a 2-year runway to build ChatGPT uncontested, Apple has seemingly taken a safer bet and stayed true to CEO Tim Cook’s aged philosophy: "not first, but best." The company has often touted its approach of not necessarily being the first to introduce new tech, but mostly wind up developing the best product, even if it means taking longer to ship.
These efforts could be part of the iPhone maker’s broader plans to develop its own AI model to power Siri. However, reports suggest that the entry might not ship until Apple ships its iOS 19.4 update in 2026.
Elsewhere, Former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive confirmed he is working on a new mobile hardware project with OpenAI amid declining iPhone sales, especially in China. The designer plans to leverage the ChatGPT maker's AI technology to "create a computing experience that is less socially disruptive than the iPhone." Apple’s new AI strategy seems to be a step in the right direction, briefly helping it reclaim its crown as the world’s most valuable company ahead of Microsoft and NVIDIA with over $3 trillion in market capitalization.
