Is Apple Still On Track With Its AI Program?

Investors will now have an idea what the stakes are when Apple reveals what’s next for its most important products at its annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference on 9 June.

Apple announced its long-awaited push into artificial intelligence at last year’s event by introducing Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered features for the iPhone and other products. But delays and underwhelming capabilities have put Apple on its back foot.

The company has struggled to convince consumers and Wall Street that it’s a leader in the crucial technology, which is expected to overhaul the way people work, communicate and find information online.

Now, one year after introducing Apple Intelligence, the company is on the hook to prove at this week's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), a key annual event for the company, that it can make a name for itself in the AI space as its chief rivals like Google continue to charge ahead.

At this year’s WWDC, which kicks off with a keynote address from Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives at 10 A.M. PT, don’t expect Apple to show off a flashy new iPhone or Apple Watch. Instead, the company will outline new capabilities for its current devices that lay the foundation for where it could be going next.

"WWDC, from a developer conference perspective, is maybe more interesting than others," said Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at technology analysis firm Creative Strategies. "It does give consumers a peek as to what they can expect coming to whatever device that they already own."

Apple’s AI struggles are larger than just a product delay. The bigger issue is that Apple’s current AI tools don’t offer experiences that are notably different from what you can get elsewhere. Apple Intelligence can summarize text messages, identify real-world surroundings with the iPhone’s camera, erase unwanted objects from photos, rewrite emails and prioritize notifications. But those features are similar to capabilities offered by other companies such as Google, OpenAI and Samsung.

In fact, rivals like Google and OpenAI are already moving one step further with technology they claim can execute tasks for consumers rather than just answering questions or generating summaries.

There are benefits to waiting; Apple has largely been able to avoid the embarrassing AI gaffes of its rivals, with one exception. Apple is also known for popularizing new technologies rather than being first, as was the case with smartwatches and tablets, two categories it now dominates.

But Apple has yet to prove it can do the same with AI. And it doesn’t sound like that's going to change at WWDC, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who wrote the event "may be a letdown from an AI standpoint," citing "people within the company."