Apple’s efforts towards AI have always looked at Siri and its advancements. It was the first company to introduce a smart assistant in its devices back in the day. But lately, people have noticed that Apple is rather quiet about any future products or services as there was no mention from Apple about AI or Machine Learning at WWDC 2019. Is the company focusing on AI as much as it was before? And are we going to see any more AI technology launched in the coming years? These are the questions many analysts and Apple lovers are pondering on these days and looking for Apple’s goals.

Apple AI

The information below will go through some of the AI products that the company has launched recently and will analyze few Apple Future Goals.

Overton

The most recent and awesome development was the introduction of “Overton”. According to the paper by Overton developers. It is a Machine Learning platform that is designed to “support engineers in building, monitoring, and improving the production of machine learning systems.” This system is being used for most company’s AI products including Siri. It has answered and processed billions of queries in this time according to Apple.

While Siri seems to focus on Voice Recognition and processing. The introduction and development of Overton show that Apple has much more planned for its smart assistant. Overton is there to make Siri more knowledgeable and turn it into a know-it-all and do-it-all digital assistant. The end goal is to make it answer every question by itself with the most possible accuracy instead of returning a Wikipedia page and that’s what Overton is heading towards. Apple Commented: “A major direction of on-going work is the systems that build on Overton to aid in managing data augmentation, programmatic supervision, and collaboration.”

Apple iPhone Features

Other than Siri, Apple has been focusing on introducing many new and entertaining features to iPhones as well. This is to make it more user-friendly. These include making it remembering and reminding about your meetings without you even setting a reminder to have it point to your car without even asking. Moreover, showing map recommendations according to the reservations you made or showing a list of apps you are most likely to open next. Apple is also working on its face and voice processing abilities.

What many people may not notice is the role played by machine learning in establishing certain patterns within the phone’s display. Like, the sorting of pictures and connecting images to names. The photo application has the ability to not only sort photo’s into pre-made galleries but also learn about the people in the picture and group them all.

Apple AI Future Goals

While this work is being done, there is no way we can say that Apple is focusing less on AI or Machine Learning. According to Apple’s CEO, on the event of promoting John Giannandrea. Google’s former search and artificial intelligence chief, as the senior vice president of machine learning and artificial intelligence strategy, says:

Machine learning and AI are important to Apple’s future as they are changing the way people interact with technology, and already helping our customers live better lives.

 

The thing that has been and remains to be clear in Apple’s strategy is its focus on providing services on local devices. Rather than using cloud-based tools. Like rivals such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft do. This has translated into the announcement of CreateML and CoreML software. Which developers can use to build and incorporate AI and ML models to macs and other Apple devices. This approach is towards Apple’s promise to make user privacy the priority.

Taking The Smarter Route

With the adoption of CreateML. Apple has adopted a route that sees them excavating through the potential competition that cloud-based companies would’ve given them. Instead, through the inclusion of such software. Apple has been able to reiterate the importance of user privacy and its success in maintaining that throughout.
 
The fact that apps integrated with the Core ML will not cause harm at all by network issues goes on to show how efficiently Apple has been able to remove the computing from the ‘network’ and brought it straight to the ‘device’.
 
So not only are they helping developers create training models for machine learning but also helping them re-establish their presence on mobile devices, hence adding to the efficiency.

Product Integration

A massive product of the Apple market is the Apple watch. It is probably the perfect example of machine learning that Apple has to share with the world. Through the integration of health applications, machines can learn anything and everything about the wearers of this particular watch.
 
Through the direct interaction, the watch has with the individual and the consistency of data, they can establish trends and relationships amongst everyone. The AI can comprehend the routines that govern these individuals’ lives and is so able to direct targeted data to them.

Apple AI New StartUps

Apple’s AI plans have also been active in the acquisition of startups and companies. They could further help it achieve its AI goals. For instance, the latest acquisition of a U.K. company, Spectral Edge, will help Apple in improving the quality of photos. The company uses ML to make smartphone pictures clearer and with more accurate colors.

Expand, Expand, Expand!

At the heart of Apple’s ideology is the motivation to create a model that is independent and can so provide an experience unlike any other. Whether that is through the implementation of augmented reality into their products or selling devices that have interconnections. The point is to help create an expansion plan that aims to improve on a more consistent basis.

Just a few conveniences

Apple’s machine learning is providing features that are finding their way into the various applications that Apple provides on its phone, smartwatch & laptop.
 
The facial recognition for HomeKit helps smart-cameras to use your tagged phone images to identify who’s at your door and even announce their name. The native sleep tracking feature for the Apple Watch detects your sleeping patterns and classifies movements to track them efficiently.
 
One of the biggest breakthroughs was the use of a translation application within the phones that did not need an active internet connection. Thanks to on-device machine learning. The application cannot only detect languages but also do live translations of conversations.
 
Their biggest challenge yet is the handwriting recognition software they’re launching for the iPad. Even though this may not be a completely AI-centered feature. It utilizes the image recognition facet and helps it identify both English and Chinese characters.

Conclusion

These things show that apples goals are on providing better services to people and make their lives better whether personal or business. Yet, Apple needs to build more tools that make it easy for developers to create AI apps for its platforms, as the company seems to lack this. Let’s see what moves Apple has in store for the upcoming years.

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