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It’s a bit like a last call, Apple’s choice to move its team that has been working on electric cars for years to artificial intelligence. Last call because the AI train started more than a year ago, with OpenAI launching ChatGPT and with companies like Microsoft and Google immediately positioning themselves in the sector with strategic choices that seem correct. And also with new giants like Nvidia who have been able to exploit the new wind better than others, outside and inside Wall Street.
The great absentee
In these 13/14 months of great enthusiasm, Apple has been the great absentee. And the repercussions of this absence were also seen on Wall Street, where after years of unchallenged dominance, the Cupetino giant had to cede the scepter of the company with the highest market capitalization in the world to Microsoft. On the other hand, in fact, Microsoft itself seemed to be the company that best interpreted the role of trend setter in the generative artificial intelligence sector: first by getting its hands on OpenAI, then by offering products based on this technology such as Copilot, and finally by investing also on the European start-up, Mistral AI, which is working on open source generative artificial intelligence.
Punished by the market
Apple, on the other hand, took on the role of the observer. And it was punished by the market, also and above all in consideration of the fact that generative artificial intelligence has also landed on smartphones, a sector in which Cupertino has planted its most solid and deep roots. For a few months, Samsung and Google have brought very interesting products to the market (Samsung Galaxy S24 and Google Pixel 8), which are considered the first smartphones with artificial intelligence.
Now the iPhone’s response is awaited. And it cannot be a disappointing answer. For this reason, the artificial intelligence team that Apple had used to develop the car (and which was headed by Stuart Bowers) is now tasked with working on generative artificial intelligence in the machine learning division, led by John Giannandrea.
Lost ground
The big doubt now is Apple’s ability to recover lost ground. And about the time needed to fill this gap. Concrete answers could arrive in the coming months, and in particular at WWDC, the annual developers conference during which Apple unveils the major software innovations (such as new operating systems). For this 2024 edition it is very likely that Apple will reveal its first steps in the world of generative artificial intelligence. Bookies agree that Siri will be the software most affected by intelligent innovations. Also because Apple’s business is very linked to products (especially the iPhone), and it is quite obvious that the AI effort will be made to bring innovations to devices, rather than for a software release.