On a string of current earnings calls from large tech corporations together with Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon, generative AI was heralded as an enormous push for the longer term.

However what about Apple?

On Apple’s second-quarter earnings name on Might 4, in contrast to his counterparts at different giant know-how distributors, CEO Tim Cook dinner didn’t embody any feedback about synthetic intelligence in his ready opening remarks.

For the document, it was one other sturdy quarter for Apple that topped analysts’ expectations with income coming in at $94.8 billion.

Through the question-and-answer session with analysts, Cook dinner was requested by analyst Shannon Cross of Credit score Suisse for the Apple CEO’s tackle generative AI general, and extra particularly on how the know-how will match into Apple’s merchandise.

Cook dinner offered few particulars, protecting to Apple’s long-standing technique of retaining a excessive diploma of safety about its future efforts.

“As you understand, we don’t touch upon product roadmaps,” Cook dinner mentioned.

Apple will take a deliberate and considerate method to generative AI

Although Cook dinner declined to touch upon future merchandise, he did present perception into how Apple is considering AI and the way it will match into the corporate’s services.

“I do assume it’s essential to be deliberate and considerate in the way you method these items,” Cook dinner mentioned. “And there’s numerous points that must be sorted, as is being talked about in numerous totally different locations, however the potential is definitely very attention-grabbing.”

Cook dinner didn’t elaborate on the particular points, although there is no such thing as a scarcity of subjects being mentioned within the business at giant concerning the impression and dangers of AI. 

There are ongoing business conversations about bias in how AI analyzes and generates content material. There are additionally points round AI explainability — organizations want to have the ability to clarify how a mannequin generated a sure consequence. Points round security and dangers to society at giant are a subject that the Biden administration is now tackling with a set of initiatives announced this week as nicely.

AI is already a part of Apple merchandise

Apple is definitely no stranger to AI.

The Siri voice assistant makes use of natural language processing (NLP) throughout Apple merchandise together with Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, Mac computer systems and HomePod units, to assist customers execute duties. AI is deeply built-in into the corporate’s iOS software program as nicely, with capabilities corresponding to Deep Fusion for enhancing picture high quality. In 2021, Apple hired Samy Bengio, a former chief of Google’s AI efforts, to assist Apple construct out its personal. 

“We’ve clearly made monumental progress integrating AI and machine learning all through our ecosystem and we weaved it into merchandise and options for a few years,” Cook dinner mentioned. 

Cook dinner additionally famous that AI is current in options discovered on iPhones and Apple Watches as we speak, together with fall detection, crash detection and electrocardiogram (ECG) performance.

“These items will not be solely nice options, they’re saving individuals’s lives on the market,” Cook dinner mentioned. “We view AI as large and we’ll proceed weaving it in our merchandise on a really considerate foundation.”