4 ms·

Or Apple will do what they always do, wait for the tech to mature then buy some big player like anthropic and integrate it into their products.

behnamoh 3y ago
Their track record shows if they can't tightly control a technology, they won't touch it. LLMs can be bent in different ways and Apple wouldn't allow that. I own Apple devices, but I just don't see Apple play in the Google/MS/ClosedAI's field by saying "Our model is 20% larger than the best models out there...". Also, Apple should first fix Siri, or get rid of it for good. It's a joke at this point.
- agloe_dreams 3y ago
  I would argue that Siri is an example of a lightly controlled technology. My bet is that Apple will appear behind for 2-4 years and out of nowhere will launch a Spike Jonze's Her-style "Samantha" that was in R&D for years.
  - sebzim4500 3y ago
    I don't think this is possible. There aren't that many AI researchers and they talk to each other. If Apple was making a serious AI push it would be obvious.
    - noahtallen 3y ago
      There actually have been rumors about this: https://www.macrumors.com/2023/05/22/apple-ramps-up-hiring-of-ai-experts/ https://www.macrumors.com/2023/05/22/apple-ramps-up-hiring-o... (and I remember hearing more before April as well.) I feel like any company which has chatbots as a "core" part of their systems (like Siri is often advertised to be) would be looking very heavily into generative AI. It makes way too much sense and would clearly make Siri way more useful. Imagine if Siri was current ChatGPT with plugins for interacting with the OS -- this immediately solves basically all the complaints about Siri. Plus Apple has efficient local AI acceleration already, which could make it even better. It feels so obvious it'd be weird if they weren't trying to make a better Siri with gen AI! I have a feeling we'll hear about it either at WWDC or the iPhone event in the fall.
      - chaxor 3y ago
        They will likely make Siri an LLM but not make a big deal about it. Just simply put it as a minor revision note, because that's effectively all it is.
  - behnamoh 3y ago
    The thing about these technologies is that you can't repeat the same recipe for iPhone. Even 6 months is too long a time for a company to stay behind. The rate of progress in this field, combined with the insane VC money driven up by the hype around LLMs, means that no company can afford "surprising" everyone by waiting just a bit longer. Google did that and see where they are now.
    - noahtallen 3y ago
      You're right, but we're talking about Apple. While they may not be able to introduce a ChatGPT competito, Siri basically has a captive audience. With OS-level integrations, you can easily imagine a much more powerful and interactive Siri which becomes popular just because it's available out of the box and offers OS level integrations which a 3rd party chatbot can't. It's also not like AI tools are why people buy Apple products. So "waiting" probably doesn't cost them much money -- it doesn't impact their core hardware and service revenue. It's "just" a value add for now.
      - behnamoh 3y ago
        If MS offers Copilot for office only on Windows, I for one will have an incentive to switch from Mac. And if Bing AI gets integrated into Windows, I’ll most likely switch.
    - JohnFen 3y ago
      I don't think I agree. The rate of progress in the field, I think, makes waiting until the dust settles a very smart move.
- sebzim4500 3y ago
  Not convinced. The most useful feature of the first iPhone was it's web browser. Apple had/has very loose control over what people use it for.
  - behnamoh 3y ago
    True, but Apple still controls what web engine you use on iOS and what extensions you can install there.
    - cube2222 3y ago
      Which, according to rumors, will change soon and be announced on WWDC, due to EU regulation.
- iknowstuff 3y ago
  Siri is great! The on device recognition makes it far more reliable
wilg 3y ago
Hardly always their playbook, they rarely make big acquisitions like that. Siri back in the day, Beats, P.A. Semi, are the most notable acquisitions.
- moonchrome 3y ago
  I was trying to say that they usually don't introduce bleeding edge tech to their products and lag on adoption till the tech is polished enough. For acquisition yeah I was thinking along the lines of Siri.

behnamoh 3y ago

Their track record shows if they can't tightly control a technology, they won't touch it. LLMs can be bent in different ways and Apple wouldn't allow that. I own Apple devices, but I just don't see Apple play in the Google/MS/ClosedAI's field by saying "Our model is 20% larger than the best models out there...". Also, Apple should first fix Siri, or get rid of it for good. It's a joke at this point.

agloe_dreams 3y ago
I would argue that Siri is an example of a lightly controlled technology. My bet is that Apple will appear behind for 2-4 years and out of nowhere will launch a Spike Jonze's Her-style "Samantha" that was in R&D for years.
- sebzim4500 3y ago
  I don't think this is possible. There aren't that many AI researchers and they talk to each other. If Apple was making a serious AI push it would be obvious.
  - noahtallen 3y ago
    There actually have been rumors about this: https://www.macrumors.com/2023/05/22/apple-ramps-up-hiring-of-ai-experts/ https://www.macrumors.com/2023/05/22/apple-ramps-up-hiring-o... (and I remember hearing more before April as well.) I feel like any company which has chatbots as a "core" part of their systems (like Siri is often advertised to be) would be looking very heavily into generative AI. It makes way too much sense and would clearly make Siri way more useful. Imagine if Siri was current ChatGPT with plugins for interacting with the OS -- this immediately solves basically all the complaints about Siri. Plus Apple has efficient local AI acceleration already, which could make it even better. It feels so obvious it'd be weird if they weren't trying to make a better Siri with gen AI! I have a feeling we'll hear about it either at WWDC or the iPhone event in the fall.
    - chaxor 3y ago
      They will likely make Siri an LLM but not make a big deal about it. Just simply put it as a minor revision note, because that's effectively all it is.
- behnamoh 3y ago
  The thing about these technologies is that you can't repeat the same recipe for iPhone. Even 6 months is too long a time for a company to stay behind. The rate of progress in this field, combined with the insane VC money driven up by the hype around LLMs, means that no company can afford "surprising" everyone by waiting just a bit longer. Google did that and see where they are now.
  - noahtallen 3y ago
    You're right, but we're talking about Apple. While they may not be able to introduce a ChatGPT competito, Siri basically has a captive audience. With OS-level integrations, you can easily imagine a much more powerful and interactive Siri which becomes popular just because it's available out of the box and offers OS level integrations which a 3rd party chatbot can't. It's also not like AI tools are why people buy Apple products. So "waiting" probably doesn't cost them much money -- it doesn't impact their core hardware and service revenue. It's "just" a value add for now.
    - behnamoh 3y ago
      If MS offers Copilot for office only on Windows, I for one will have an incentive to switch from Mac. And if Bing AI gets integrated into Windows, I’ll most likely switch.
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    I don't think I agree. The rate of progress in the field, I think, makes waiting until the dust settles a very smart move.
sebzim4500 3y ago
Not convinced. The most useful feature of the first iPhone was it's web browser. Apple had/has very loose control over what people use it for.
- behnamoh 3y ago
  True, but Apple still controls what web engine you use on iOS and what extensions you can install there.
  - cube2222 3y ago
    Which, according to rumors, will change soon and be announced on WWDC, due to EU regulation.
iknowstuff 3y ago
Siri is great! The on device recognition makes it far more reliable

wilg 3y ago

Hardly always their playbook, they rarely make big acquisitions like that. Siri back in the day, Beats, P.A. Semi, are the most notable acquisitions.

moonchrome 3y ago
I was trying to say that they usually don't introduce bleeding edge tech to their products and lag on adoption till the tech is polished enough. For acquisition yeah I was thinking along the lines of Siri.