Apple pours $1Bn into AI to catch up to rivals

CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — Technology giant Apple is aggressively ramping up investment in artificial intelligence, allocating $1 billion annually to develop generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and catch up to rivals like Google and Microsoft.

According to a Bloomberg report, Apple was blindsided by the meteoric rise of AI tools like ChatGPT in 2022. Internally, there is anxiety over missing the boat on this technology. 

Now the iPhone maker is on a mission to incorporate advanced AI across its product lineup. Led by senior VPs Craig Federighi, John Giannandrea and Eddy Cue, several Apple teams are collaborating to integrate AI into Siri, Messages, Apple Music, Xcode and more. The revamped Siri digital assistant is slated for unveiling next year.

The company has crafted its own large language model framework called Ajax. Rumors swirl of a ChatGPT-style chatbot dubbed Apple GPT.

While the $2.3 trillion company currently leverages AI predominantly for photography and text enhancement, this investment signals a strategic push into generative AI. With rivals like Google, Microsoft and Meta already debuting offerings, Apple aims to solidify its competitive edge.