If Apple’s truly not quite there yet, it will not want to disappoint with weak-tea WWDC news — and that makes this a good time to constrain the optimism. This part of the match isn’t over; Apple and AI is a work in progress; and the company’s R&D teams continue to churn out powerful-seeming foundational technologies, including its very own multimodal LLM mode, called Ferret.
The privacy thing
One area of speculation I don’t think Apple hopes to quash revolves around privacy and edge AI. It seems probable that edge intelligence will guide some features, implying that when you do use genAI on your iPhone, the process/data will be kept confidential.
That is essential if Apple wants to make using these tools a customary part of daily life, particularly in the enterprise space. With that in mind, it is curious that the tone of Gurman’s comments suggest Apple’s focus on privacy and security is limiting what it can achieve with AI — but does at least value the information. Apple is planning its own cloud-based genAI services that should deliver functionality and security, and is investing in highly secure data center processors.
There is a one more card in play that could work in Apple’s favor in the long game: ChatGPT and Google Gemini are server-based solutions, but their future evolution will be constrained by AI regulation and the need to maintain data sovereignty.
These forces will become a barrier to growth, and it remains possible that by focusing on data privacy today, Apple could hold a winning hand by the end of the game. So, while company insiders may be attempting to guide expectation a little lower as we travel toward the new AI iPhone in fall, the game at this table isn’t over yet. Partnership, or even acquisition, could be the next set of cards in Apple’s deck.
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