Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Apple’s own large language models (LLMs) reportedly aren’t capable enough to replicate ChatGPT, which has pushed it toward third-party partnerships.
- The company may have internally tested a ChatGPT-powered Siri, and iOS 18 users could get their hands on it later this year.
- Microsoft could be worried about the Apple-OpenAI deal, as it would have to accommodate the increasing server demand and compete against Apple’s features.
In under two weeks, Apple will finally reveal iOS 18 and its rumored AI additions at WWDC24. Given that the iPhone maker’s own AI efforts may still be lacking, it has reportedly resorted to third-party partnerships to power some of these smart features. As a result, OpenAI’s ChatGPT could be fueling Siri and other AI functionalities on iOS 18, and Microsoft is worried about it.
According to a report by The Information, Apple has internally tested a version of Siri that relies on ChatGPT’s smarts. The Cupertino firm is reportedly not ready to offer its own chatbot yet, pushing it to seek third-party alternatives for the time being. Meanwhile, it will likely use its own LLMs to power the less demanding iOS 18 features, such as on-device summarization.
The potential Apple-OpenAI partnership for iOS 18’s AI features is reportedly worrying Microsoft. After all, OpenAI relies on its servers to deliver some of its services. So, adding Apple users to the mix could overwhelm Microsoft’s data centers. For reference, there are more than 2.2 billion active Apple devices right now. That’s not to mention that Microsoft would also have to compete with whatever AI features Apple bakes into its platforms.
WWDC24 kicks off on June 10, and we expect Apple to reveal iOS 18, iPadOS18, macOS 15, and watchOS 11 during its opening keynote. The company’s upcoming operating system updates could leverage some significant AI features that we will learn more about very soon.
