Apple has quietly invested billions in generative AI

Apple is investing “a lot” in AI, according to Tim Cook. In an interview with Reuters, the Apple CEO said its $22.6 billion spending on research and development is driven by investment in AI technologies, including generative AI. This was in response to the Thursday earnings call, when Cook addressed questions about Apple’s consumer approach to AI.

Cook explains the increase in spending, which has gone up by $3 billion this year.

We’re going to continue investing and innovating and responsibly advancing our products with these technologies to help enrich people’s lives. Obviously, we’re investing a lot, and it is showing up in the R&D spending that you’re looking at.

Unlike big tech companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft which jumped on the AI bandwagon early and have been launching generative AI tools, Apple has stayed characteristically cautious. On the call, Cook said Apple’s approach is to “announce things as they come to market.”

At WWDC June, the term “AI” wasn’t mentioned once. But that’s not to say Apple is sleeping on AI. The company has reportedly developed an internal chatbot, colloquially dubbed “Apple GPT” which might also be used for Apple Care. The big question Apple devotees’ minds is whether Siri will get a generative AI upgrade, which would be a clear use case.

While the buzzy term is generative AI, Cook reinforced how Apple has integrated other types of AI into its products for years, like Crash Detection in iPhones and Personal Voice in iOS 17. But Cook’s specific mention of generative AI in Apple’s R&D efforts, might mean Apple users might see more ChatGPT-esque features in the near future.