In a recent quarterly earnings call on Aug. 3, Apple CEO Tim Cook emphasized the company’s extensive use of artificial intelligence (AI), a technology dramatically reshaping the tech industry.
Cook said during a question-and-answer session:
“If you take a step back, we view AI and machine learning as core fundamental technologies that are integral to virtually every product that we build.”
He noted that Apple announced certain AI-powered consumer features at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, including a speech generator called Personal Voice and a speech transcription tool called Live Voicemail.
Cook also said Apple has announced other AI-powered features such as fall detection, crash detection, and ECG heart tests, all of which rely on AI and machine learning.
He stated that the company has been researching generative AI and many other areas of AI “for years.”
Cook’s response was prompted by a question from Deutsche Bank analyst Sidney Ho, who noted that Apple discusses AI less than other major tech companies. Cook emphasized that Apple waits to announce products as they arrive on the market but ultimately said AI is “absolutely critical” to the company.
According to separate reports from The Independent, Cook said that the company’s greater focus on AI over the last quarter was one cause of the increased spending on R&D that Apple reported in its latest earnings call.
Apple has other AI products
Apple has launched other AI products in addition to the products mentioned by Cook. The Verge reported in January that Apple had launched AI-powered audiobook narration and said in June that said the company had launched an image-to-text tool called Live Text.
Other reports via Bloomberg in July suggest that the company is working on an AI-powered chatbot, albeit only for internal use.
n the same earnings call, Apple reported revenue of $81.8 billion, with service sales witnessing an 8% rise year-over-year. However, overall sales saw a slight dip, falling 1% year-over-year. This news has impacted the market, with the company’s stock falling 4.51% on Aug. 4.
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