Welcome to The Week in Generative AI, a weekly column for marketers from Quad Insights that quickly sums up need-to-know developments surrounding this rapidly evolving technology.
Apple paying big to catch up in AI race
Apple is hustling to bridge the AI innovation gap, spurred by the rapid strides of tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The iPhone maker is now crafting a comprehensive strategy to weave generative AI throughout its product suite, according to reporting from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
The tech giant is dedicating around $1 billion annually to its AI ambitions, with a roadmap that includes supercharging Siri, embedding AI deeper into iOS and aligning developer tools such as Xcode with AI, per Gurman.
Related coverage:
• “Apple isn’t freaking out about AI, it’s rope-a-doping the competition” (TechRadar)
• “Report: Apple is all-in on generative AI with an eye on iOS 18” (Macworld)
Microsoft looks to Australia for AI investment
Microsoft is poised to invest a hefty $3.2 billion (A$5 billion) in its Australian operations over the coming two years, targeting the augmentation of its AI and cloud computing capabilities. Reuters’ Byron Kaye writes that “the spending amounts to a charm offensive by Microsoft in a country that began public consultation this year over regulation of AI.” The tech giant aims to boost its computing capacity in Australia by 250%, Kaye notes.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., The Wall Street Journal’s Tom Dotan reports that “Microsoft’s sales growth accelerated last quarter as demand for its cloud computing services heated up amid growing enthusiasm about artificial intelligence.”
Related coverage:
• “Microsoft’s edge in AI pays off while Google tries to catch up in the cloud” (Financial Times)
• “Opinion: Microsoft and Alphabet results show Wall Street only cares about AI” (MarketWatch)
• “OpenAI’s Corporate Sales Come Under Pressure as AI Customers Eye Cheaper Options” (The Information)
• “Windows Copilot AI is the new Start button, says Microsoft CEO” (PCWorld)
At Intuit, humans help monitor AI
Intuit, the developer of TurboTax, is venturing into generative AI with its financial assistant, Intuit Assist, but not without a plan to mitigate potential risks. The Wall Street Journal’s Belle Lin interviewed Intuit CIO Atticus Tysen, who says the company has devised a feedback loop involving human moderators to refine its AI’s ability to identify and filter abusive content. Customers will also be able to report when the AI assistant creates offensive content or incorrectly flags their prompts.
This strategy points to the future of AI moderation, and Lin notes that “like so-called prompt engineers, AI content moderators could become part of a category of new job opportunities created by AI.”
Related news:
• “Intuit Gets An A+ For Intuit Assist — A Powerful GenAI Assistant For TurboTax, Quickbooks, Credit Karma, And MailChimp” (The Information)
Further reading
• “Stanford researchers challenge OpenAI, others on AI transparency in new report” (Ars Technica)
• “AI Has a Hotness Problem” (The Atlantic)
• “OpenAI forms team to study ‘catastrophic’ AI risks, including nuclear threats” (TechCrunch)
• “The Music Industry’s First Reckoning With AI Is Upon Us” (Bloomberg)
• “Anthropic tests AI rules for the people, by the people” (Axios)
• “AI and the end of photographic truth” (Politico Europe)
• “Here’s a look at how the newly up-to-date ChatGPT reports the latest news” (NiemanLab)
• “The fingerprints on a letter to Congress about AI” (Politico)
• “Midjourney Releases Huge New AI Art Feature” (Forbes)
Thanks for reading. We’ll see you next week.
If you’d like to catch up on prior installments of this column, start by heading to last week’s recap: “The Week in Generative AI: October 20, 2023”
