Apple Bolsters Its Teams with Generative AI Specialists

During the company’s second-quarter earnings call, CEO Tim Cook avoided giving precise answers about Apple’s projects in this area, while not dismissing it. He stated that generative AI was “very interesting” and that Apple would be “deliberate and thoughtful” in its approach. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company had begun restricting the use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other external generative AI tools for some employees, due to concerns about proprietary data leaks through these platforms.

Generative AI Applications at Apple

Increasingly, third-party applications are incorporating elements of generative AI, and Apple is reportedly working on its own products using this technology, according to the Wall Street Journal. Hiring more generative AI experts could help serve these goals. The available positions involve teams such as Integrated System Experience, Input Experience NLP, Machine Learning R&D, and Technology Development Group, located in San Diego, the Bay Area, and Seattle.

Some of the positions specifically focus on visual generative AI applications, with machine learning experts working on “visual generative modeling to power applications in computational photography, image and video editing, 3D shape and motion reconstruction, and avatar generation.”

It is unclear which projects these new hires would work on, but Apple’s effort to attract more generative AI talent is not surprising. The company was one of the first to enter the world of consumer AI applications with the launch of voice assistant Siri on the iPhone in 2011, and for years, it has been considered one of the largest tech companies to identify and recruit AI talent.

Read also: Debate on the responsibility of tech companies in the era of generative AI: the challenges of trust and security

Apple Seeks to Catch Up

However, Apple and other giants like Google and Amazon are perceived as lagging in the latest wave of this technology, led by companies such as OpenAI, Midjourney, and Stability.AI and their advances in generative AI. Several initiatives have been launched by these giants to catch up, such as Google’s launch of Bard and a series of AI announcements at its major I/O developer event.

True to its reputation, Apple will undoubtedly seek to bring its own approach to this technology. Much of the work it has done so far with, for example, visual AI technology, has focused on on-device processing and privacy, as well as creating tools for developers in this regard.

Apple will host its developer-focused WWDC event next month, where observers will be looking to see if the company makes any announcements regarding generative AI. In addition to the expected launch of new software for the iPhone and iPad, many anticipate that Apple will finally provide details on its highly anticipated augmented/virtual reality headset.