No bragging, just features
Apple Park is seen ahead of the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in Cupertino, California, on June 5, 2023.
On Monday during Apple's annual developer's conference, WWDC, the company subtly touted just how much work it's doing in state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and machine learning.
As Microsoft , Google , and startups like OpenAI embraced cutting-edge machine learning technologies like chatbots and generative AI, Apple appeared to be sitting on the sidelines.
But on Monday, Apple announced several significant AI features, including an improved iPhone autocorrect based on a machine learning program using a transformer language model, which is the same technology underpinning ChatGPT. It will even learn from how the user texts and types to get better, Apple said.
"In those moments where you just want to type a ducking word, well, the keyboard will learn it, too," said Craig Federighi, Apple's chief of software, joking about autocorrect's tendency to use the nonsensical word "ducking" to replace a common expletive.
The biggest news on Monday was its fancy new augmented reality headset, Vision Pro, but Apple nonetheless showed how it's working on and paying attention to developments in state-of-the-art machine learning and artificial intelligence. OpenAI's ChatGPT may have hit over 100 million users in two months when it launched last year, but now Apple is taking the technology to improve a feature 1 billion iPhone owners use every day.
Unlike its rivals, who are building bigger models with server farms, supercomputers, and terabytes of data, Apple wants AI models on its devices. The new autocorrect feature is particularly impressive because it's running on the iPhone, while models like ChatGPT require hundreds of expensive GPUs working in tandem.
On-device AI bypasses a lot of the data privacy issues that cloud-based AI faces. When the model can be run on a phone, then Apple needs to collect less data in order to run it.
It also ties in closely with Apple's control of its hardware stack, down to its own silicon chips. Apple packs new AI circuits and GPUs into its chips every year, and its control of the overall architecture allows it to adapt to changes and new techniques.
Source: CNBC
