Apple Accelerates Gen AI Push as Part of Future Strategy

Apple is continuing its push into generative AI (Gen AI) in 2024, having acquired a startup which specialises in making AI applications more efficient.

The company reportedly acquired Canadian AI startup DarwinAI earlier this year, which has developed technology that makes AI technology accessible to a wide variety of industries.

According to Bloomberg, dozens of DarwinAI’s employees have joined Apple’s artificial intelligence division, while Alexander Wong – an AI researcher at the University of Waterloo who helped build the business – joined Apple as a Director of Machine Learning Research earlier this year

The company's website has since been taken offline, but according to its LinkedIn page, DarwinAI is a visual quality inspection company providing manufacturers with an end-to-end solution to improve product quality and increase production efficiency. Its patented Explainable AI (XAI) platform has been adopted by numerous Fortune 500 companies, “easily integrating AI they can trust and results they can see, and was built from years of research”. The company has previously worked with companies such as Intel and Lockheed Martin.

Apple plans to incorporate Gen AI into its products this year.

Apple has previously teased its plans to implement Gen AI into its products, according to Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook.

With advances in AI driving the leading big tech companies to record heights, Apple’s approach to AI has been more low-key.

However in a recent call with analysts, reported by Reuters, Cook said that Apple sees "incredible breakthrough potential for generative AI,” adding that the company is “currently investing significantly” in the area. 

“We believe that will unlock transformative opportunities for users when it comes to productivity, problem-solving and more," he said.

Gen AI tools like ChatGPT have played a major role in bringing AI to the front of the public’s mind. Setting records for the fastest-growing user base in history, at the start of 2023 the chatbot was estimated to have reached 100 million monthly active users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history.

With AI advancements helping Microsoft overtake Apple as the most valuable company in the United States, Apple is now looking to implement its own AI offerings.

“As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in these and other technologies that will shape the future,” Cook reportedly said. “That includes AI, where we continue to spend a tremendous amount of time and effort, and we’re excited to share the details of our ongoing work in that space later this year.”

An announcement about Apple’s AI initiatives could come as soon as June when the company holds its annual developer's conference.

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