Apple is looking for ways to catch up in the field of artificial intelligence. Joining forces with the press would be a possible avenue.
Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Meta and Samsung have already invested heavily in the generative artificial intelligence market, which has been disrupted in recent months with the arrival of conversational agents (like ChatGPT). In this area, Apple, despite colossal resources, appears to be lagging behind. In the voice assistant segment alone, Siri pales in comparison to Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. But the Cupertino company could accelerate on AI in the coming weeks, reports the New York Times in an article published on December 22.
Apple, which has recognized the rise of generative AI, has reportedly approached several press organizations in order to use their content to train its artificial intelligence technologies. We’re talking about a multi-year deal with $50 million on the table. Publications like Vogue, The New Yorker, NBC News, People and The Daily Beast are cited.
The press to save Apple in the generative AI market?
Apple would undoubtedly be right to turn to the databases available to the press. They can represent a fairly rich well of knowledge, likely to allow an AI to quickly perfect its culture by analyzing many things, a priori coming from reliable sources. Archives offer the possibility of going back very far into the past while more recent articles serve as a basis for contextualization. If we’re looking to develop up-to-date AI, it’s pretty smart.
Especially since the multinational has apparently targeted quite varied areas: general news (NBC News, The New Yorker, The Daily Beast), fashion (Vogue) and even the celebrity press (People). The sample may lack specialization, but for use aimed at the general public (Apple’s main target), the basics would be there.
Press organizations would be quite divided on this possibility of a merger with Apple. Some would have reservations about access to sensitive data (particularly from a legal point of view) while others welcome the fact that a large company has a respectful approach towards data. content that they own (which was not the case for others). By obtaining the right to use archives, Apple would avoid legal risks. We should not neglect the philosophical aspect either: a sufficiently powerful generative AI could replace the press in certain cases. Helping its development would therefore be like selling your soul to the devil.
Subscribe for free to Artificielles, our newsletter on AI, designed by AIs, verified by Numerama!