Apple’s progress on AI has been the subject of intense criticism, with the technology giant said to be lagging behind smaller startups such as OpenAI. The company is reportedly bringing in some AI-centric services later this year, but it appears that Apple has already been taking advantage of it, but not in its products.
Instead, the Cupertino firm’s CEO, Tim Cook, has stated that it is leveraging this technology to achieve its sustainability goals, such as recycling and obtaining a carbon-neutral status. As reported by AppleInsider, Cook made the following statement while speaking at a Chinese conference about reducing carbon emissions. At the conference, the Chief Executive spoke about how AI was being used to achieve its targets of being environmentally friendly through excessive recycling.
“We would not be able to recover the level of material that we do today for recycling without AI. I mean, it is already fundamental in our [business] calculations. And I think it provides an enormous tool and a toolkit for every company that's wishing to be carbon neutral, or to lower their emissions by a substantial amount.”
While Apple did not go in-depth on how AI would help improve the company’s recycling processes, this information would probably be of little value to people since the technology is being used to fulfill the company’s personal goals, and that would not typically be the priority for other companies. As for users, they will likely experience a taste of the company’s AI efforts later in the year, where a preview could be provided at the WWDC 2024 keynote. Apple is said to be developing a ChatGPT-like chatbot, which is internally dubbed ‘Apple GPT.’
Additionally, the company is said to upgrade the microphones on the iPhone 16 family, which will improve the lineup’s AI capabilities when it comes to processing voice commands accurately. As for on-device AI, Apple has been researching on how to use NAND flash memory to run Large Language Models instead of RAM, so while the California-based giant’s efforts have been highlighted in a boatload of reports, the first products or services are yet to materialize.
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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