Apple’s Siri and Safari apps, included in the iOS18 update, would be powered by Generative AI (Gen AI). Updates for the virtual assistant and web browser in the iOS18 Operating System (OS) would have the Ajax LLM Gen AI, a new report claims.
Why hasn’t Apple jumped on the Gen AI trend wholeheartedly?
Big Tech companies have been aggressively introducing or infusing Gen AI in several products and services. Apple appears to have fallen behind. However, according to a new report from AppleInsider, Apple is aiming a lot higher with Gen AI.
Apple has been developing AI enhancements for Safari, Siri, and Spotlight Search. However, the company has yet to offer Gen AI improvements in its products.
Exclusive: Apple’s standard system components are on the verge of receiving significant AI-related enhancements, with Safari, Spotlight Search, and Siri being first in line for the treatment.#Apple
— AppleInsider (@appleinsider) May 3, 2024
Apple’s approach to generative AI focuses on practical benefits for the end-user. However, the company intends to preserve user privacy by using on-device LLM, the report suggests.
Apple is not going after the low-hanging fruit such as AI chatbots. Instead, the company wants to improve its existing products with Gen AI.
In other words, Apple might not offer new Gen AI products. The company would offer Gen AI inside its existing products that are already popular.
iOS18 to have Siri and Safari with on-device Gen AI upgrades
Apple currently offers text summarization, document analysis, and AI-enhanced search options. However, Gen AI can take these features to the next level.
Apple iPhone’s upcoming update, the iOS18, will be packed with apps and tools powered by its own Generative AI (Gen AI) Large Language Model (LLM), called Ajax.
What would separate Apple Ajax from ChatGPT and other Gen AI platforms, is its localization. In other words, Apple is betting big on “on-device Gen AI”.
This means the LLM powering Apple’s Ajax would reportedly do all the relevant processing on the device, without pinging remote servers. This would not only boost the speed, but it would also help protect privacy.
Apple’s iOS18 will reportedly introduce many AI features running on-device and not relying on cloud-based servers. This includes enhancements to apps like Messages, Safari, and Siri, which will utilize Apple’s in-house LLM, “Ajax”. This will ensure that your data stays personal. pic.twitter.com/qY8xrfsOrh
— Unwind AI (@_unwind_ai) April 25, 2024
Needless to say, on-device Gen AI would be limited. It won’t be able to seek and answer queries that need more information. Instead, Apple Ajax would offer summaries of webpages and better replies to messages.
Although limited in scope, Apple’s Ajax has been getting better at guessing if a reply needs specific content. For example, Siri can compile multiple responses within milliseconds. Moreover, if needed, it can locate, pull up, and include contact information. Siri would also pull data from the Calendar app, and consider the scheduled events when generating a response. Needless to say, owing to Apple’s approach to security and privacy, only Ajax would be able to access data from Apple’s apps.
Apple’s Safari, and the Apple Message app on the other hand, would offer clever summaries of webpages and conversations respectively. However, advanced queries and their replies would need server-side processing. Some reports suggest Apple is talking with OpenAI and Google. The company could be trying to license cloud-based Gen AI technology.
2024-05-04 15:06:02