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As Apple reboots its AI work, OpenAI ramps up the pressure by declaring ‘code red’

As Apple loses its AI head and reboots its work with a restructure, OpenAI is ramping up the pressure by declaring “code red.”

Concerned about being overtaken by Google’s Gemini, CEO Sam Altman has said that all of the company’s efforts will be devoted to improving the quality of ChatGPT

Apple reboots its AI efforts

Apple yesterday announced that its (now former) AI head John Giannandrea is retiring next year and is stepping down from his position with immediate effect. He’s been replaced by Amar Subramanya, an industry veteran with a background at Google and Microsoft.

The iPhone maker said it was also restructuring the company’s AI initiatives.

Subramanya will be leading critical areas, including Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and AI Safety and Evaluation. The balance of Giannandrea’s organization will shift to Sabih Khan and Eddy Cue to align closer with similar organizations.

We noted yesterday that he will not have an easy task.

He’s got an uphill battle ahead of him, with a heavily shorthanded team at an all-time low morale. And while it’s impossible to know for sure from the outside, it’s reasonable to assume that he will need to bring in reinforcements rather quickly, if he hopes to recover from the relentless waves of losses Apple has suffered, particularly over the past year.

OpenAI ramps up pressure with “code red”

A new Wall Street Journal report says that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is concerned that ChatGPT has been overtaken by Google’s Gemini. He’s responding by declaring that all of the company’s efforts need to be devoted to improving the quality of its chatbot.

Altman told employees Monday that the company was declaring a “code red” effort to improve the quality of ChatGPT and delaying other products as a result, according to an internal memo viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Altman said OpenAI had more work to do on the day-to-day experience of its chatbot, including improving personalization features for users, increasing its speed and reliability, and allowing it to answer a wider range of questions. 

With OpenAI and Google engaged in a race to be the best, that will further raise expectations of what Apple needs to achieve in order to be competitive by the time the new Siri finally launches sometime next year.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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