Microsoft, Google, Baidu, and others have all raced to make very public AI announcements over the past month. Apple held its own AI event earlier this month but it was a staff-only affair.

Apple’s low-key AI event was notable as being the first to be held in-person at the Steve Jobs Theatre since the pandemic began. Other than that, it wasn’t particularly newsworthy—which is somewhat newsworthy in itself.

Most AI solutions rely on the cloud for processing. Google is moving an increasing amount to on-device but Apple, for better or worse, has made a big deal about its on-device AI strategy.

One of the ways that Apple markets itself as differing from rivals is its privacy-first approach. The firm collects minimal data and processes it on-device. That approach has worked great for Apple but the company may begin to struggle as it requires more data and processing power—something we may already be seeing.

Siri is widely perceived to be the third most capable virtual assistant behind Google and Alexa. Apple currently has no answer to the ChatGPT and Bard chatbots unveiled by Microsoft and Google respectively.

One of the primary uses for machine learning over the years has been web search. The threat that a ChatGPT-integrated Bing poses to Google reportedly set off the alarm bells over at Mountain View and led to the frantic (and “botched”) announcement of Bard.

Apple has reportedly been working on its own search engine but the company’s ethos against data collection could be holding it back from launching a product that can go toe-to-toe against Google and Bing.

At its AI event this month, Apple appeared set on rallying employees and convincing them it isn’t falling behind. Apple’s AI chief told attendees that “machine learning is moving faster than ever” and that Apple has talent that is “truly at the forefront.”

That doesn’t sound like a company that is particularly confident.

“While that may be Apple’s belief, I haven’t heard of anything — for consumers — that is a game changer coming out of the summit,” wrote Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter.

“For those wondering, I don’t believe Apple previewed a ChatGPT/New Bing competitor or anything of the sort.”

Apple isn’t known to rush products to market and it’s not surprising that we’re not getting any major announcements ahead of WWDC. However, this staff-only event – and Gurman’s report – certainly gives the impression that Apple knows it’s not as well-positioned as its rivals when it comes to AI.

For now, Apple looks quite happy to sit out of the spotlight when it comes to AI. This year, all the attention will be firmly on its mixed-reality headset. However, questions will certainly be raised in the coming years about whether Apple is an AI leader unless it can silence the critics.

(Photo by Oscar Keys on Unsplash)

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In an email to The Hill, an official wrote:

“Within the coming weeks, we could expect to see action designed to preserve American [research and development] leadership in artificial intelligence, 5G, and the first deliverables from the National Quantum Initiative Act.”

The ‘National Quantum Initiative Act’ is a law passed by the previous Congress that was intended to keep pace with China in vital new technologies.

During a State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Donald Trump discussed investing in what he called “industries of the future”.

The Wall Street Journal reported President Trump is expected to issue executive orders to redirect government resources into boosting AI and 5G development.

China AI Race

According to a report published by US national security think tank Center for a New American Security (CNAS), Chinese officials see an AI ‘arms race’ as a threat to global peace.

Their fear is the integration of AI into military resources and communications may breach current international norms and lead to conflict-by-accident.

One such example is the use of drones. Without the risk of human casualties, militaries are more likely to deploy them into contested airspace while opponents are more likely to shoot them down.

Establishing international norms around the use of automated systems needs to be a priority to avoid potential disaster. A simple race to be the best could be dangerous. Firms such as Microsoft have even begun warning investors of potential issues during AI development that ‘may result in reputational harm’.

The US and China will need to set aside their differences and increase cooperation in such matters. Both have a lot to gain; the US has a lead in chip technology, whereas China has masses of data for training AI.

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Starting with the charter, Andrey Neznamov — head of Russian robot research centre, Robopravo — drew it up in response to fears machines possessing AI could lead to the “destruction of humanity” if they’re not sufficiently regulated.

To some, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, these fears are overblown and scaremongering. Other great minds, including Stephen Hawking and Tesla founder Elon Musk, believe it’s a very real possibility.

“I sincerely believe that technology will make the world better, just there is a certain stage when lawyers will have to intervene,” says Neznamov. “On the one hand, we cannot allow the laws to prevent the development of technology, and on the other hand, we must not allow the destruction of humanity, which may happen as a result.”

One example Neznamov provides is an AI which controls the energy infrastructure of a country. It may not have malicious intent, but a failure could mean bringing the power grid down.

Another often provided example is an AI used in a military capacity for automated defense. Whereas it could be designed for things such as intercepting missiles, it could instead decide to launch its own preemptive strike on another country is more likely to keep its own citizens safe while not considering the devastation such a decision would create.

Part of what could result in rushed and dangerous militarised AI is the latest ‘arms race’ between the historical rivals of the US, Russia, and China.

It’s now widely accepted that AI will be used for warfare as powerful nations battle for better capabilities than others. Sometimes this competition is good, and drives groundbreaking advancements — such as in the ‘space race’ — but experts are concerned AI will be more likened to the nuclear arms race.

Back in September, AI News reported Russian President Vladimir Putin said the nation which leads in AI “will become the ruler of the world.” Earlier this month, we reported that researchers have begun sending letters to their respective leaders calling for a global stand against AI militarisation.

Robert Work, a former deputy US secretary of defence, has warned the US military must now decide if it wants to “lead the coming revolution, or fall victim to it”, amid emerging challenges from China and Russia.

Russian state media have reported on the military developing automated drones, vehicles, robots, and cruise missiles. China, meanwhile, has published a road map with its national plan to prioritise AI and use it for defense purposes.

A copy of the aforementioned ‘Robot Ethics Charter’ can be found here, but please note it’s currently only available in Russian.

Are you concerned about AI’s use in a military capacity? Let us know in the comments.

 Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this and sharing their use-cases? Attend the co-located AI & Big Data Expo events with upcoming shows in Silicon Valley, London and Amsterdam to learn more. Co-located with the  IoT Tech Expo, Blockchain Expo and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo so you can explore the future of enterprise technology in one place.

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