Apple has been subject to a lot of criticism over its AI strategy, especially after it delayed several powerful Siri upgrades earlier this year. But a new report may help explain why, in part, Apple’s AI approach differs so much from competitors.
Apple’s belief about LLMs’ future may be shaping more conservative AI spend
There’s no shortage of critiques of Apple’s AI strategy, but heading into the new year there’s fresh optimism about Apple’s approach.
Last month, Wall Street started signaling that Apple’s conservative AI spending could actually prove an advantage for the company. A new report published today at The Information echoes that claim.
But while much of the report focuses on speculation and leaks we already knew, there is a fascinating tidbit concerning long-term AI sentiment within Apple leadership.
After mentioning Apple’s rumored Google partnership for powering the new Siri, Aaron Tilley writes:
Apple still has a team working on its own internal models that it could take advantage of in the future. But some Apple leaders hold the view that large language models will become commodities in the years to come and that spending a fortune now on its own models doesn’t make sense.
That second sentence could go a long way toward explaining Apple’s AI approach so far.
While competitors like OpenAI, Meta, and Google have invested significant resources into developing LLMs, Apple has been more reserved in its spending.
If Apple leadership truly does believe LLMs will become commodities, then the company’s AI success will depend less on bespoke new models, and more on its ability to control the hardware, software, and services that AI runs on.
And for now at least, those are the very areas that Apple’s at its best.
What do you think of this new report about Apple’s LLM outlook? Let us know in the comments.
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