Apple has apparently begun creating its own AI-powered chatbot, but reportedly does not have solid plans to release the technology to the public in the near future.
According to Bloomberg, the chatbot uses its own large language model (LLM) framework called “Ajax,” running on Google Cloud and built with Google JAX, a framework created to accelerate machine learning research. Sources close to the situation have stated that Apple has multiple teams working on the project, which includes addressing potential privacy implications.
Recently, other tech firms such as Google, Meta, and Microsoft, have moved quickly to incorporate AI products of their own into their products. Apple has been conspicuously absent in this regard, and is said to have banned its workers from using ChatGPT, instead using the Ajax-powered chatbot internally. Ajax has been described as having been created to “unify machine learning development,” according to a source close to the story.
Apple has quietly woven AI into its software for some time, the most evident example being Siri, the voice assistant that helped kick-start the trend among tech companies. To help bolster its efforts, Apple hired John Giannandrea, who previously headed up AI and search at Google, in 2018 to oversee Siri and its machine learning teams. Giannandrea and Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, are said to be leading Apple’s AI initiative.
In a recent interview with Good Morning America, Tim Cook said AI tech is something Apple is “looking at closely.” Cook also expressed concerns about AI products during an earnings call in May, noting there are “a number of issues that need to be sorted.”
Although Apple’s plans in the AI space are still unclear, sources have stated that Apple is looking to make a “significant AI-related announcement” sometime next year.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.