AppleGPT Is Under Development, According to Gurman

According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Apple is actively working on developing its own chatbot known as Apple GPT. The company has reportedly created a framework called "Ajax" specifically designed for large language models similar to Microsoft's Bing, Google's Bard, and OpenAI's ChatGPT. Apple has successfully developed an internal chatbot using this framework, but it appears that the company has yet to establish a clear strategy regarding a consumer-oriented product.

To develop the Ajax framework

Apple has leveraged Google's Jax machine learning framework, which operates on the Google Cloud platform. Additionally, Apple reportedly explored the possibility of partnering with OpenAI and even tested OpenAI's technology for its internal business teams. However, in the end, Apple decided not to pursue this particular direction.

Apple has been investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) and has multiple teams dedicated to addressing privacy and AI-related challenges. While Apple's Siri personal assistant is well-known, the company has traditionally prioritized privacy protection over advanced AI features. Nonetheless, Siri has faced criticism for its limitations compared to competing AI products from companies like Google, Microsoft, Samsung, and Amazon.

During a May earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook emphasized the need to solve AI-related problems and highlighted the importance of a deliberate and thoughtful approach to development. Cook acknowledged the significance of AI and expressed Apple's commitment to carefully integrating it into their products.

Currently, there is no specific information available about Apple's plans to launch a consumer-facing chatbot. However, with each software update, Apple continues to enhance the machine learning-based features in its products. For instance, the iOS 17 update introduced improvements in predictive text functionality and introduced new features related to visual search and photo identification.

While no concrete plans have been announced, there is a possibility of Apple making a "significant" AI-related announcement in 2024. Leading Apple's AI efforts are John Giannandrea, the head of AI, and Craig Federighi, the head of software engineering. As is customary with Apple's emerging technologies, there may be disagreements within the company regarding the direction and development of the chatbot, which Apple will need to address and overcome.