According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is nearing a major partnership deal with OpenAI to integrate the artificial intelligence company’s cutting-edge language model and ChatGPT technology into the upcoming iOS 18 operating system for iPhones and other Apple devices. This represents part of Apple’s broader strategic push to enhance its products with advanced AI capabilities.
Under the agreement being finalized, Apple plans to offer a ChatGPT-powered chatbot assistant as one of multiple new AI-driven features slated for iOS 18. The tech giant is expected to unveil these AI advancements at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
Apple in Talks with Google to License Gemini AI
In addition to the OpenAI partnership, Apple has also been holding parallel discussions with Google about potentially licensing and integrating Google’s Gemini chatbot model, though no final deal has been reached yet on that front. Apple may ultimately decide to work with both AI companies, utilizing OpenAI for language-related tasks like summarization while leveraging Google’s offerings for other generative AI capabilities.
Rather than positioning AI as a direct Siri replacement, Apple’s strategy appears to be using the advanced language models to enhance Siri’s existing capabilities for tasks like setting timers, scheduling calendar events, summarizing messages and documents, and other productivity use cases.
To power these new AI features, Apple is planning to leverage its custom ARM-based processors and operate the AI models through the company’s own data centers running Apple Silicon chips. This vertical hardware and software integration could provide performance advantages.
Tim Cook’s “Thoughtful” AI Strategy
The AI advancements align with comments last year from Apple CEO Tim Cook, who acknowledged using ChatGPT while also expressing some caution around unresolved “issues” with the technology. Cook stated Apple would roll out AI features “on a very thoughtful basis.”
Apple clearly views advanced AI as a critical future battleground and competitive differentiator. As WWDC 2024 on June 10th approaches, more reports continue to surface about the company’s specific AI product roadmap and strategy to integrate the transformative technology across its devices and operating systems.