Apple acquires DarwinAI after acquiring more AI companies than most rivals over the past decade
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Key notes
- Apple secretly acquired Canadian AI startup DarwinAI.
- Focus on making AI smaller and faster for on-device applications.
- Apple is playing catch-up in generative AI after being overshadowed by competitors.
Apple Inc. has acquired Canadian AI startup DarwinAI to strengthen its position in the AI market, in which they are lagging behind compared to other tech giants like Microsoft and Google.
DarwinAI specializes in making AI systems smaller and faster, a technology that could be helpful to Apple, which is focused on running AI on devices rather than entirely in the cloud, cue to the leaks that revealed GenAI Siri with a subscription fee.
The acquisition comes as Apple prepares for a significant AI push in 2024, with plans to add features to its iOS 18 software that rely on GenAI. Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised that the company will “break new ground” in AI this year, with an announcement expected as soon as the company’s worldwide developers conference in June.
Despite acquiring more AI companies than most rivals over the past decade, Apple has fallen behind in the generative AI market. The company was caught off guard by the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022, and tech peers like Google and Microsoft Corp. have stolen the spotlight with investments in Anthropic and Mistral, respectively.
Internally, Apple has started integrating generative AI into its operations, using the technology to assist with customer service requests. The company is also planning to add features to its software for auto-creating presentations and completing blocks of text.
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