Apple has big plans for its own AI features this year with brand-new iPhones. Apple is betting big on Apple Intelligence revealed early this year.
However, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the tech giant might be hedging a bet on OpenAI with an investment.
OpenAI is looking for a fundraising round with over $100 billion valuation. To do that, they need deep-pocketed companies like Apple to invest in the round. So, if Apple invests in OpenAI, then the future of Apple’s AI might be a little flexible as they would’ve had access to OpenAI resources.
The interest of Apple in OpenAI fits perfectly with their push into AI this year, particularly with the planned release of Apple Intelligence. Apple is expected to share a lot more details on its AI future at its Glowtime event planned for September 9. We already know that the company plans to include both in-house and third-party AI models in Apple Intelligence.
This means that users might end up having a lot of choices when it comes to which AI features to use. This could be a big step for Apple as they are always bullish on using their own apps and services.
Wall Street Journal also pointed out that Apple doesn’t just invest in companies like OpenAI, they just usually buy startups and instead invest in manufacturing companies. With the investment round expected to raise several billions, OpenAI would be fine with Apple giving them a check.
Well, Apple is not the only investor in this fundraising round, Thrive Capital and one of Apple’s biggest rivals, Microsoft is also participating. Microsoft is already a major investor in OpenAI and has already invested around $13 billion in the company.
At the moment, it is not clear what Apple wants out of this deal.
