Apple in talks with Meta for potential AI integration
Apple and Meta are in talks about integrating the latter's generative AI model into Apple Intelligence, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple Intelligence, the recently announced AI system for iPhones, was unveiled at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). During the event, OpenAI's ChatGPT was announced as Apple's first partner with software leader Craig Federighi stating, "We wanted to start with the best." Federighi also mentioned that Apple is interested in integrating Google's Gemini into its AI system.
Meta's AI partnership with Apple: A major victory?
A partnership with Apple would significantly boost Meta's standing in the tech industry's AI race. Meta launched its large language model, Llama 2, in July 2023 and released the latest version, Llama 3, in April 2024. Despite gaining support within the tech industry and among start-ups, a deal with Apple would be a major victory for Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Apple-Meta partnership despite past tensions
The potential partnership between Apple and Meta comes despite previous tensions. In 2021, Apple introduced privacy changes to its mobile devices that Meta claimed would cost it $10 billion in lost revenue in 2022. Furthermore, in April, Meta published instructions encouraging advertisers to use a workaround to avoid paying a 30% service charge to Apple for "boosted posts," a contentious form of advertising.
Apple's AI system to offer multiple external models
In addition to the leading tech giants, AI start-ups such as Anthropic and Perplexity are also in discussions with Apple. The aim is to integrate their generative AI into Apple Intelligence. If agreements are reached, customers could choose which external AI models they want to use alongside Apple's internal systems. The latest discussions underscore the unexpected alliances forming in the era of Artificial Intelligence.
No direct payments in partnerships
According to the report, the discussions between Apple and the partner AI companies do not involve direct payments. Instead, these AI companies can sell premium subscriptions to their services through Apple Intelligence. As with its App Store, Apple would retain a portion of subscription revenue from its devices, according to the WSJ report.
