March fifteenth, 2024: Apple has reportedly acquired DarwinAI, a Canada-based startup focused on artificial intelligence (AI), in a deal that might significantly boost the tech giant’s AI ambitions.
The acquisition, which took place earlier this 12 months, has not been officially announced by Apple, but sources aware of the matter have confirmed the event to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
DarwinAI, known for its expertise in developing AI systems to examine components within the manufacturing process visually, has also seen a lot of its employees join Apple’s AI division.
Most notably, the startup’s co-founder and Chief Scientist, Alexander Wong, has been hired as a Director of Machine Learning Research at Apple.
The acquisition comes when Apple CEO Tim Cook has emphasized the corporate’s deal with AI development.
During the corporate’s quarterly earnings call in February, Cook revealed that Apple was investing a “tremendous amount of effort and time” in AI and hinted at the potential of latest AI-driven features being unveiled later this 12 months.
Speculation surrounding Apple’s AI plans has been rife, with rumors suggesting the event of a native foundation model called AppleGPT, an enhanced version of Siri that might function as a chatbot just like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, AI-generated playlists for Apple Music, and AI integration into productivity apps like Pages and Keynote.
The upcoming iOS 18 update, expected to launch alongside the iPhone 16 series, can be rumored to bring several latest AI features to Apple smartphones.
The acquisition of DarwinAI could play a vital role in Apple’s AI strategy, particularly in developing on-device AI models and features.
This approach aligns with Apple’s emphasis on user privacy and security, as on-device AI processing minimizes the necessity for cloud-based data processing.
As Apple continues to speculate in AI and expand its capabilities, integrating DarwinAI’s expertise and technology could lead on to significant advancements in the corporate’s services.
While the specifics of the acquisition and its implications remain under wraps, the tech world eagerly awaits the curtain-raiser of Apple’s AI-driven innovations in the approaching months.
