Apple Intelligence WWDC Transparency: Apple Uncovers Ecosystem-Wide AI, Raises Queries on Transparency
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in Cupertino this week has been a source of discussion, mainly due to the inauguration of its ecosystem-wide push into generative AI, called Apple Intelligence. This new AI influences a host of features, from an upgraded Siri to AI-generated emoji and photo-editing tools that can remove unwanted people and objects from photos.
Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted that Apple Intelligence is being built with safety and personalization at its core. But the company’s lack of clearness about its model training practices has raised eyebrows. Apple trains the AI models that power Apple Intelligence on a combination of licensed datasets and the public web. But the company remains silent about whether artists’ works were used in Apple’s initial training.
This confidentiality could be to avoid legal challenges relating to copyright. The courts have yet to decide whether vendors like Apple have a right to train on public data without reimbursing or crediting the creators of that data. It’s a bit inacceptable to see Apple, which often paints itself as a champion of rational tech policy, covertly embrace the fair use argument.
Particularly, Apple Intelligence will not be available on all devices. You’ll need to have a device with an A17 Pro processor or M-series chip to use many of the features exposed during the Apple Intelligence portion of WWDC 20242. Presently, the only models that will support Apple Intelligence are the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max3.
Apple Intelligence is expected to offer AI-assisted tools for writing, image editing, and organization. It will also include a new rewrite, summarize, and proofread text feature that you can access system-wide. In addition, Apple Intelligence will introduce a new feature called Image Playgrounds that can generate images.
In spite of the excitement around these new features, Apple’s lack of transparency about its AI training practices continues to be a point of contention. As the tech giant moves forward with its AI initiatives, it will be interesting to see how it steers through these challenges.
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