Apple’s Cautious AI Strategy Could Have Been Its Smartest Move

Source Domain: www.cnet.com

You’ve probably heard someone say something along the lines of, “Apple is losing the AI race” or “Apple’s AI is lagging.” What if being behind on AI was intentional? Or maybe even a winning strategy?

For years now, the media has treated Apple’s caution in integrating AI as a failure, approaching every underwhelming developer event as a catastrophe. That framing failed to assess what the company was doing behind the scenes.

Apple has spent decades evaluating how to bring innovative tech to real people. Apple didn’t need to sprint into flashy demos that are loud on stage but don’t appeal to everyday users.

Choosing when to adopt a technology is a business strategy, not an act of cowardice.

As tech consumers, we’re also in an embarrassing contradiction. We’ve been asking Apple to hurry along with its AI integration, while also insisting we’re exhausted by AI hype. We keep demanding novelty, and then complain about pointless novelty.

During yesterday’s WWDC keynote event, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, gave the standard line about AI, calling it an “incredibly powerful technology with the potential to shape society in profound ways, and with proper care, unlock meaningful benefits for people everywhere.”

But he also implied that Apple is not about chasing trends that offer little value. “Some appear to be racing forward, seemingly pursuing AI for the sake of AI, without clear regard for the people — all of us — that it’s ultimately meant to serve.”

Seems reasonable. I also thought we didn’t want performative or useless AI from tech companies. I also thought we were becoming allergic to AI washing.

Apple plays coy when it comes to AI

The WWDC keynote rhythm and language mattered, too.

Artificial intelligence barely showed up in the first half of the keynote, with the first mention coming right around the 28-minute mark of a 1-hour event.

Only after the glossy parts had settled did Federighi stroll in and say that…

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