With Google, Microsoft, and Meta making huge AI strides in recent years and Apple only taking baby steps, many people have wondered whether AI is even on the company's mind. Based on recent statements from CEO Tim Cook, it appears that Apple's 'fashionably late' approach to AI is definitely intentional, and that the company wants to create technology that will actually benefit customers, not just tick an AI box—a minor dig at fast-paced competitors.
At Apple's annual shareholder meeting, Cook assured investors that the company is putting "tremendous time and effort" into AI. He even went on to present a vague plan for its future AI plans, saying Apple would "break new ground" with generative AI in 2024, with more details to come later this year.
Will Apple's slow-but-steady approach present competitive results?
Apple isn't completely out of the AI space right now, but compared to competitors, Apple's current product lineup is lacking. But is that a bad thing?
While current generative AI tools are incredibly useful, they're clearly not perfect (or anywhere close to perfect) yet. There are plenty of hilarious screen captures going around the internet of ChatGPT or other AI chatbots or services getting things wrong, from creating nightmarish hands to delivering incorrect information as fact.
If Apple is indeed being methodical in its approach to AI and trying to create something that people will actually find helpful in everyday life, giving other companies a huge headstart might not be that big of a deal. And it's exactly that message Cook was probably trying to convey to shareholders, analysts, and market watchers at the annual shareholder meeting.
Cook said that AI "will unlock transformative opportunities for users when it comes tot productivity, problem solving, and more." Of course, we don't know yet what these "transformative opportunities" will look like past possibly a reinvented Siri 2.0 and incorporating an AI code named Ajax with iOS apps. But with Cook teasing plans for major AI announcements later this year, we might not have to guess for long.
