Apple, while maintaining its characteristic discretion, is fervently gearing up for a significant leap in artificial intelligence (AI) for its next-generation iPhones. The company has been quietly investing in the AI sector, marked by a series of acquisitions, personnel hiring, and hardware updates, all aimed at integrating AI into the upcoming iPhone series.

According to information referenced by the Financial Times, Apple has concentrated its efforts on addressing the technological challenge of executing AI through mobile phones. This focus is intended to set the next series of iPhones apart in the market.

The iPhone manufacturer has been more active than its major tech competitors in acquiring AI startups, with 21 such acquisitions since early 2017, as reported by PitchBook research. One of the most recent acquisitions, in early 2023, was WaveOne, a California-based startup specializing in AI-driven video compression.

A recent note from Morgan Stanley reveals that nearly half of Apple's AI job postings now include "Deep Learning," a term associated with algorithms powering generative AI models. These models can produce text, audio, and code that mimics human output within seconds. Additionally, in 2018, Apple hired John Giannandrea, a former top AI executive from Google.

The tech giant has not yet revealed its plans for AI, even as major tech competitors like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have announced multi-billion dollar investments. However, industry insiders suggest that Apple is working on its own large language models, the technology behind generative AI products like OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Apple's goal for the next iPhones seems to be enabling AI functions directly on the mobile phones, allowing chatbots and AI applications to run on the phone's software instead of relying on cloud services in data centers.

CEO Tim Cook, in a statement to analysts last summer, mentioned that the company has been researching a broad spectrum of AI technologies, leading to responsible investments and innovations in this new technology.

However, other mobile manufacturers, such as Samsung and Google, have moved more swiftly than Apple in this area, having already released new devices claiming to run AI functions on the phone itself. Notably, Microsoft recently surpassed Apple as the world's most profitable company, with investors showing enthusiasm for its AI sector initiatives.

The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, usually held in June, is widely expected to be the platform where the company will unveil its latest operating system, iOS 18.

Source: Avant Garde