Table of Contents
Apple is gearing up to introduce new Apple generative AI features for its Xcode programming software and consumer products, according to a report from Bloomberg. The company has been testing these features internally and plans to release them to third-party developers this year.
What is Apple’s Generative AI?
Generative AI is a branch of artificial intelligence that can create new content or data from existing ones, such as text, images, audio, or code. Apple’s Generative AI can be used for various purposes, such as enhancing creativity, improving productivity, or generating personalized recommendations.
How Apple Plans to Use Generative AI
Apple has reportedly explored potential uses for generative AI in its consumer-facing products, such as:
- Automatic playlist creation in Apple Music, based on the user’s preferences, mood, or context.
- Slideshows in Keynote, based on the user’s input, theme, or message.
- AI chatbot-like search features for Spotlight search, that can answer natural language queries, such as weather reports or app functions.
The report also says that Apple is working on a new programming tool that uses Apple’s Generative AI to assist developers in writing and testing code. The tool, which is similar to Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot and Amazon’s CodeWhisperer, applies a large language model to predict and complete strings of code and potentially write code to test apps.
Apple’s AI Strategy and Competition
While other tech giants, such as Google and Microsoft, have been more vocal and visible in releasing AI research and products, Apple has been quietly developing its own AI capabilities and innovations. In the past few months, Apple has released:
- An open-source machine learning framework called MLX makes it easier to train AI models on Apple silicon chips.
- A text-to-image editing AI model called MGIE, can generate realistic images from text descriptions and edit them with natural language commands.
- An AI animator called Keyframer, can create smooth and expressive animations from keyframes and sketches.
Apple’s generative AI features for Xcode and consumer products could give the company an edge over its competitors and attract more developers and users to its ecosystem. However, Apple is not alone in pursuing generative AI applications. Microsoft, for example, has been expanding the capabilities of its GitHub Copilot, which had 1 million paying users as of November 2023.
GitHub Copilot now has a chat feature that guides coders in real time and points out potential code breaks. Microsoft said it will have more news about Copilots and AI for developers at its Build 2024 event in May.
Advancing in Generative AI
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been cautious in his statements about Apple’s generative AI, compared to his counterparts at Google and Microsoft, but he confirmed in an investor call this month that more of Apple’s Generative AI features will be coming this year. Sources told Bloomberg that executives demonstrated many of the AI features for Xcode to Apple’s board late last year. Apple may announce more about its AI plans during the annual WWDC event for developers later this year.
Apple’s response to Business Insider’s request for comment was not immediate, leaving the publication without an official statement. However, this delay in response does not reflect Apple’s commitment to advancing in the field of AI.
The company has been working on its own AI coding tool, which is set to be launched soon. While Apple may currently be trailing behind competitors like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft in terms of Apple’s generative AI efforts, CEO Tim Cook has assured that the company will announce its upcoming AI products once they are fully prepared for the market.
Cook expressed his excitement about these developments during the company’s recent earnings call, hinting at some exciting things to come later this year. Despite the premature news surrounding Apple’s AI initiatives, the tech giant has plans to integrate AI features into its next software updates for iPhone and iPad, codenamed Crystal.
Additionally, another internal AI project called Glow is expected to be incorporated into MacOS. Apple is determined to make its mark in the AI landscape and is actively working towards enhancing its products with cutting-edge AI capabilities.
