In the grand ball of artificial intelligence, Apple was once considered a late dancer. Since the end of 2022, when the dazzling star of ChatGPT made a splash on the tech stage and led a worldwide AI boom, many of Apple's rivals have joined the revelry as if by magic and have been working furiously to catch up with the latest dance steps. Apple, however, seems like a relaxed spectator. Although it whispers a few words about its AI vision in people's ears from time to time and even shows off some products that seem to incorporate elements of AI, it always feels as if it's just skimming the surface and not fully engaging in the dance. However, just when people thought Apple was just a spectator, some exciting rumours and reports crept in like a spring breeze. It turned out that Apple was not just standing by, but quietly waiting for the best time to enter. It seems to have been quietly preparing behind the scenes, waiting for the opportunity to make a splash.
In recent weeks, news has come in that Apple has been in deep conversations with two giants in the AI space - OpenAI and Google - about how to breathe more life into some of its AI features. In the meantime, Apple has been secretly working on its own AI model, giving it the empowering name of Ajax.
When you delve into Apple's publicly available AI research, it's like opening a magic book that gradually reveals the mystery of their AI approach. But be warned, the transformation process from those sophisticated research papers to the final product presented in your hands is like a winding mountain road full of unknowns and challenges. Nonetheless, when Apple started talking about their AI capabilities at their annual developer conference WWDC in June, it was as if you were able to get a glimpse of a whole new world of the future. It was not just a showcase of technology, but a profound discussion about Apple's thinking about the future.
By now, I think we're all waiting for the same thing: a better Siri, the virtual assistant we spend our days and nights with. And according to Apple's research, it looks like that "better Siri" is just around the corner. Imagine a future Siri that is smarter and more attentive. She'll be able to understand your needs more accurately and provide you with the information you need more quickly. And it's all thanks to the addition of those large language models. These models are like Siri's brain, allowing her to constantly learn and grow, becoming better and better.
In the upcoming iOS 18, Apple will show its revolutionary side, it plans to completely "fly" all the AI features into the arms of every iPhone, letting them fly free in a completely offline mode without network ties. This means that, whether you are on top of a mountain, or at the bottom of the deep sea, Siri, Face ID, photo recognition and other AI features will be like a shadow, without having to rely on external data centres or networks "matchmaking". The data centre network and those thousands of top GPUs are like the "super brain" in the field of artificial intelligence, processing massive amounts of data and complex calculations. However, to build a multi-purpose model that can cope with a variety of scenarios and meet various needs, even with these powerful resources, is like looking for a needle in the sea, full of challenges. Apple, the master of art in the tech world, however, intends to accomplish this seemingly impossible task with only the internal features of a smartphone. It's like painting a magnificent picture on a tiny canvas with limited paint. This is not only a technology challenge, but also the ultimate pursuit of innovation and intelligence.
To achieve this goal, Apple had to be incredibly creative and powerful. They need to revisit the underlying logic of AI, optimize the algorithms, compress the models, and at the same time make sure that the performance and accuracy of the AI features are not sacrificed while reducing resource consumption. This is like walking a tightrope, each step needs to be precise and accurate, and the slightest mistake could undo the entire program. However, it is this pursuit of the ultimate and tireless efforts that have made Apple a leader in the tech world. We have reason to believe that in iOS 18, Apple will bring us an unprecedented AI feast, let's wait and see!
