Apple at 50: It Wasted a '5-Year Gap' in AI, but Former Insiders Say It Can Still Win

Apple has marked its 50th anniversary, but it faces a critical turning point in the race for AI technology. Apple has long championed privacy protection as a core value, but unlike Google or Meta, which use data-driven advertising models, it has struggled to secure competitiveness in the early stages of generative AI.

Recently, Apple signed a multi-year contract to use Google's Gemini to rebuild Siri. This reverses the previous relationship in which Google paid Apple to have its search engine installed on its devices, with Apple now licensing Google's technology.

Experts are focused on how Apple will maintain the 'wall' that protects user data while enhancing AI performance as it collaborates with Google. Instead of cloud-centered AI, Apple is pursuing a strategy of strengthening on-device AI to deliver powerful performance while protecting privacy.

Apple has already unveiled Apple Intelligence, which includes features such as image generation, text rewriting, and notification summarization, and plans to focus on running AI technology on the device itself going forward.