Tim Cook Knows Apple Isn’t First in AI but Says ‘It’s About Being the Best’

Ricky Bobby from the 2006 movie Talladega Nights would find Apple’s belated rollout of Apple Intelligence a definite motion of failure. “If you ain’t first, you’re last,” he’d accidental to Apple CEO Tim Cook. In the meantime, Cook is alert that his institution isn’t going to person AI first, but the longer the CEO said it takes to—ahem—cook Apple Intelligence, the much savory a dainty it volition yet be.

Compared to the contention connected Android, the archetypal rollout expected Oct. 28 volition beryllium barebones. Google’s Gemini already has AI-generated substance and summarization capabilities, and the AI representation procreation from Apple’s Image Playground and—most importantly—the Siri integration that tin enactment betwixt apps connected users’ behalf don’t person an authoritative motorboat date. Hints from Bloomberg’s Apple guru Mark Gurman notation we could spot these features successful a fewer months, though successful each likelihood, a amended Siri won’t get until 2025.

“We weren’t the archetypal to bash intelligence,” Cook told The Wall Street Journal successful an interrogation Monday. “But we’ve done it successful a mode that we deliberation is the champion for the customer.”

We person yet to trial retired Apple Intelligence successful each its existent glory. ChatGPT and Gemini are already prolific, and we’ve seen a fewer of their ups alongside their galore downs. However, arsenic Apple integrates its AI, determination are already troubling signs. Gurman wrote successful his latest Power On newsletter that, internally, Apple believes its AI “is much than 2 years down the manufacture leaders.” An interior survey recovered that Siri was 25% little close than ChatGPT. According to the Bloomberg writer, OpenAI’s chatbot could reply 30% much questions.

Apple intends to integrate ChatGPT onto users’ iPhones (or astatine slightest each the iPhone 16s, the iPhone 15 Pro, and the latest iPads, including the 2024 Air, Pro, and upcoming iPad mini). It volition beryllium restricted down Apple’s information apparatus, and users volition request to assistance support earlier utilizing immoderate of its touted generative features.

Apple whitethorn not request to beryllium first. Bringing up the rear has its advantages. You tin spot however different companies neglect and past tailor your bundle for the better. Even then, the archetypal rollout volition look similar deja vu. You tin already entree the archetypal archetypal lawsuit of Apple Intelligence through the iOS 18.1 beta. In a nutshell, AI features similar Writing Tools fto you item substance to either proofread, rewrite, oregon summarize with an AI. Other archetypal Apple Intelligence features see a “priority notifications” capableness to enactment your astir pressing notifications, similar important meetings oregon texts, closest to the top. The AI tin besides summarize the transcripts successful Notes oregon from telephone calls.

Just however utile are substance summaries? Cook says he’s been utilizing them precocious for his emails, redeeming him clip “here and there.” If it saves you a fewer minutes each day, past possibly it mightiness prevention you a fewer hours oregon days implicit a month. I mightiness inquire wherefore I would constitute a long, elaborate email if I cognize my brag isn’t going to work it. Still, for the Apple CEO, helium claims, “It’s changed my life.”

As idiosyncratic who has utilized AI successful assorted capacities implicit the past 2 years, I person a overmuch antithetic outlook. Text summaries tin occasionally beryllium helpful, but arsenic a journalist, I find the important bits prevarication successful the details. I can’t inquire AI to skim merchandise briefs for the adjacent iPad I’m reviewing successful lawsuit it misses something. I mightiness inquire an AI to find retired the specs of an aged iPhone for a diagnostic I’m moving on, but I inactive person to double-check its enactment due to the fact that AI whitethorn get it wrong, and you’re ne'er rather definite wherever it’s pulling the information from.

The little I request to accidental astir AI-generated text, the better. Still, Apple’s CEO told WSJ that AI would marque users’ clip connected the telephone “profoundly different.” He believes it volition alteration however users run their phones.

Apple has had large misses. Remember the butterfly keyboards? It’s similar immoderate different large institution that’s been astir for the past 50 years. Sometimes, it messes up, but Apple’s unsocial successful ne'er acknowledging those failures. In the interview, Cook is presented arsenic having a affirmative outlook. He said the institution is not “running to get thing retired first… If you speech to 100 people, 100 of them would archer you: It’s astir being the best.”

The interrogation doesn’t examine the CEO’s reasoning excessively critically. Cook is simply a salesman, archetypal and foremost. Despite the CEO’s talk, Apple was precocious to AI. It lone made its first AI models nationalist successful December 2023. One anonymous idiosyncratic wrong Apple told Gurman past twelvemonth that it was “a beauteous large miss internally.”

Then again, we whitethorn not request an Apple Intelligence arsenic susceptible arsenic ChatGPT. The perfect is to person an “agentic” AI that works on-device. It needs to beryllium susceptible of taking accusation betwixt apps, similar mounting a calendar reminder based connected a substance (something Gemini is already edging adjacent to). The archetypal institution to scope that extremity volition person struck gold; AI summaries beryllium damned.