By
Godfrey Benjamin
April 26th, 2024
Apple’s foray into AI partnerships and its ongoing development of native AI technologies signal a major shift in its product strategy.
Apple, one of the leading smartphone manufacturers in the world, is exploring a partnership with Google to leverage its newly introduced artificial intelligence (AI) model “Gemini” for upcoming features on the iPhone.
According to a Bloomberg Monday report citing people familiar with the matter, Apple is currently in talks to license Google’s AI technology, with plans to introduce AI-powered features through iOS updates later this year.
Apple Plans to Bring AI Features to iPhone
The potential collaboration between Apple and Google holds significant promise for enhancing Google’s footprint within the Apple ecosystem.
The tech giant already powers the Safari browser as the preferred iPhone search engine provider. However, incorporating Google’s AI capabilities into the iPhone could further solidify the partnership between the two tech giants.
Aside from Google, Bloomberg sources said that Apple recently held a closed-door meeting with OpenAI to explore the potential integration of ChatGPT models into its product offerings.
Apple’s interest in incorporating AI features into its iPhones comes amidst fierce competition in the smartphone market, particularly from rival Samsung Electronics.
Samsung recently unveiled its new Galaxy Ultra series, featuring advanced AI technology designed to power its S24 Ultra devices.
Apple and Samsung have been known to compete heavily against each other for over a decade following the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S, which was said to have a strict resemblance to Apple’s iPhone.
Since then, both companies have been working to outshine one another in terms of innovation and global dominance. The feud has now influenced Apple to seek a partnership with Google to bring generative AI features to iPhone users.
While Google has faced challenges with its Gemini model, including pausing its image-generation feature due to historical inaccuracies, the tech giant remains committed to advancing AI capabilities.
The firm teamed up with Samsung to introduce Gemini-powered AI features in the Galaxy S24 series, highlighting the company’s efforts to overcome these challenges and deliver cutting-edge AI solutions to consumers. Google’s own Pixel smartphone lineup also has the same AI features.
Apple’s Own AI Endeavors
Despite exploring partnerships with Google and OpenAI, Apple is also working on its own native AI technology.
In February, Reuters reported that the iPhone maker wants to introduce an AI model to assist software developers in completing lines of code.
The planned AI model will have similar functionalities to Microsoft’s Copilot, which was built to help software developers complete lines and blocks of code based on the first prompt written by the developer. The tool will be available on the company’s Xcode software.
That same month, the iPhone maker introduced an AI image editing tool called MLLM-Guided Image Editing (MGIE), simplifying image editing through simple text commands. Apple researchers released the open-source technology in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara researchers.
Apple’s foray into AI partnerships and its ongoing development of native AI technologies signal a major shift in its product strategy. With CEO Tim Cook hinting at major AI announcements later this year, the company is poised to continue its innovation in AI, shaping the future of smartphones and technology.