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Ex-Apple designer Ive, OpenAI's Altman discuss AI hardware

Also: Apple may be quiet on AI, but it’s also the biggest buyer of AI companies

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AI KATANA
September 27, 2023

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In today's AI news: Apple leads in AI acquisitions with 21 startups since 2017, despite its quiet stance compared to tech giants like Microsoft and Google. The EU addresses concerns over generative AI tools spreading disinformation during elections, urging mainstream platforms to inform users about AI-generated content. The Writers Guild of America concludes its strike, reaching a contract that outlines AI's role in writing. Jony Ive, former Apple designer, and OpenAI's Sam Altman are in talks about a potential AI hardware device. Sony and Meta introduce tools aimed at reducing bias in AI vision systems. Finally, telecom entrepreneur Xavier Niel invests €200m in French AI, advocating for Europe's own AI ecosystem.

Sliced:

  • 💬 Ex-Apple designer Ive, OpenAI's Altman discuss AI hardware

  • 🍎 Apple may be quiet on AI, but it’s also the biggest buyer of AI companies

  • ⛨ Deepfake election risks trigger EU call for more generative AI safeguards

  • 📝 The writers strike is over; here’s how AI negotiations shook out

Former Apple design chief, Jony Ive, and OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, are in discussions about creating a new AI hardware device, as reported by The Information. The specific nature of the device remains unclear, and there's no confirmation on whether it will come to fruition. SoftBank's CEO, Masayoshi Son, has also participated in some discussions, but his continued involvement is uncertain. Ive, who was instrumental in iconic Apple designs like the iMac and iPhone, left the company in 2019 to co-found design firm LoveFrom. Meanwhile, OpenAI, known for its hit chatbot ChatGPT, has attracted significant investments from tech giants like Microsoft and Alphabet.

While major tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon frequently discuss their AI ventures, Apple remains relatively silent on the matter. However, Apple leads in AI acquisitions, having bought 21 AI startups since 2017—almost double the purchases by Microsoft and Meta. According to PitchBook, this places Apple at the top, with Accenture trailing behind with 19 acquisitions. Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, stated that the company prefers to announce products when they reach the market. This approach differs from Microsoft and Google, which are vocal about their AI developments, partially seeking real-time feedback for product enhancement. Apple's recent AI acquisitions align with new features on their devices, such as the personal voice and live voicemail on iPhones. While Apple has been aggressive in its AI purchases, companies like Microsoft and Google have been more reserved due to increased antitrust concerns, opting to collaborate with startups rather than acquire them.

The European Union (EU) has expressed concerns over the potential risks posed by generative AI tools, specifically in relation to the spread of disinformation during elections. The EU's values and transparency commissioner, Vera Jourova, emphasized the need for mainstream platforms to implement safeguards to inform users about AI-generated content. While some platforms have begun this process, Jourova insisted that these efforts need to intensify, particularly with the upcoming EU elections in mind. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, is set to discuss these concerns with Jourova. The EU is also working on an AI Act that would mandate user disclosures from makers of generative AI technologies, although this legislation is still in draft form. The EU's voluntary anti-disinformation Code, which has 44 signatories, aims to act as an interim solution until the AI Act is finalized.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has concluded its five-month strike with Hollywood studios, reaching a new contract that includes clear guidelines on AI's role in the writing process. Amid concerns that studios might exploit rapidly evolving AI tools like ChatGPT to sidestep paying union members, the new contract stipulates that AI cannot pen or edit scripts, nor can AI-created content be used as source material. While individual writers can use AI if they wish, studios cannot mandate such use. The contract also underscores the WGA's stance against the use of writers' content to train AI. Meanwhile, the actors union, SAG-AFTRA, which shares similar concerns about AI's impact on their craft, continues its strike and is also set to clash with the video game industry.

🛠️ AI tools updates

Computer vision systems, widely used for image classification and tagging, have been criticized for their biases, particularly against Black or brown individuals and women. Traditional methods of measuring skin-tone bias utilize the Fitzpatrick scale, which inaccurately classifies ethnicity based on a single dimension of skin tone. To address this, researchers at Sony have introduced a tool that considers both skin color and hue, inspired by techniques in the cosmetics industry. Concurrently, Meta has unveiled a comprehensive fairness evaluation method named "Fairness in Computer Vision Evaluation (FACET)." It incorporates a wide array of visual attributes to better capture human diversity and has been used to identify significant disparities in AI model performances. Both companies have made their tools and datasets freely accessible online. However, some experts caution that these advancements may lead to incremental improvements rather than transformative changes in AI fairness.

💵 Venture Capital updates

Billionaire Xavier Niel, a prominent telecom entrepreneur, has invested €200m in French AI ventures, emphasizing the need for Europe to develop its own AI ecosystem and not rely solely on American or Chinese technologies. Niel expressed concerns about the potential implications of depending on non-European algorithms, advocating for AI solutions that align with European values and regulations. His investment will fund a research lab in Paris, with NVIDIA providing the necessary hardware. While North America and Asia Pacific dominate the AI market, representing 63%, Western Europe holds only 19%. The global AI industry is projected to reach a value of $984bn, with potential challenges stemming from ethical concerns and international trade tensions.

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