Apple is quietly advancing its capabilities in artificial intelligence, with reports that the Cupertino company is developing ambitious speech tools that resemble celebrity voices. A project codenamed Ajax is said to be in early stages, with work underway on a chatbot dubbed Apple GPT and a large language model designed to process vast amounts of internet data to answer user questions with accuracy and speed. According to Bloomberg, the initiative is progressing in secrecy, and a public release date has not been set. The publication notes, however, that an unveiling could occur at an event planned for next year, signaling Apple’s intent to explore new customer-facing AI features while keeping details under wraps during development. [Bloomberg]
Insiders indicate Apple is weighing how and when to offer these AI tools to consumers. The strategic question revolves around user access, safety, privacy, and how the technology would integrate with existing products and services. The discussions reflect a broader industry push to balance innovation with responsible deployment, as Apple seeks to align new AI capabilities with its hardware and software ecosystem. [Bloomberg]
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Historically, Apple has steered clear of the all-out sprint seen among some tech rivals. Firms like Microsoft and Google have pursued rapid AI expansion, racing to secure dominant positions in a market expected to generate substantial profits. Tim Cook has publicly steered away from hype and has reportedly discouraged some internal experiments with conversational AI to guard against potential leaks. Instead, Apple has doubled down on its core strengths, leaning into areas such as augmented reality and virtual reality to differentiate its product landscape. [Bloomberg]
Meanwhile, major players continue to invest heavily in AI development. Microsoft has allocated considerable funding to bring AI into its suite of Office tools, aiming to weave conversational capabilities throughout enterprise software. Google, building on its long history with AI, recently introduced a new chatbot that demonstrates the ongoing evolution of language models. Meta has signaled openness by making its AI code available to developers, inviting broad experimentation and product creation. Other industry leaders have expressed private caution while pursuing their own AI ventures. [Bloomberg]