By June of this year, major players in the tech industry such as Google, Meta, and Microsoft, as well as startups like OpenAI and Anthropic, had already established well-developed strategies for generative AI. However, Apple’s announcement of its own push into this field was met with skepticism, as it was seen as a late entrance into the game.
But according to Apple’s leaders, the company’s timing was actually perfect. In interviews with key executives, including senior vice presidents Craig Federighi and John Giannandrea, as well as senior vice president of worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak, it became clear that Apple had been quietly preparing for this moment for years.
In fact, Apple had been utilizing AI in its products since 2015, with features like predicting app usage and routes in maps. When Giannandrea joined the company in 2018, it was a clear indication that Apple was anticipating the transformative power of AI. And with the creation of a new senior VP position for him, it was evident that Apple was breaking from its traditional hiring norms to prioritize AI development.
Giannandrea was impressed by how much Apple was already utilizing cutting-edge AI in its popular products, such as Face ID. And Federighi was inspired by the possibilities of OpenAI’s GPT-3 model, which led to multiple teams within Apple working on transformer-based AI models.
So when ChatGPT took the world by storm in November 2022, Apple was already well on its way to creating features that would similarly “just disappear” into the background. As the company’s leaders emphasized, Apple’s approach to AI will be guided by the same clarity and meticulousness that it is known for. And with this strategic and deliberate approach, Apple is poised to make a significant impact in the world of AI.
