Apple is said to be negotiating with Meta to integrate its AI model into the Apple Intelligence system, according to the Wall Street Journal. This potential deal immediately caused controversy in the technology world, because Apple and Meta have been known as rivals for many years.
AI race heats up: Apple looking for allies?
Information about this cooperation appears in the context of the race to develop AI being extremely fierce. As one of the technology "giants", Apple is considered to be slower than competitors such as Microsoft or Google in this field. Seeking support from strong partners like Meta is considered a strategic step, helping Apple quickly catch up with the game.
Previously, at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) taking place in early June, Apple announced OpenAI's ChatGPT as the first partner for the Apple Intelligence system. However, if it successfully cooperates with many partners, it will help the company diversify the AI ecosystem and give users many options to suit their needs.
Mr. Craig Federighi, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, said ChatGPT is currently the best choice for Apple users. However, the company also plans to integrate Google's Gemini and is in discussions with AI startups like Anthropic and Perplexity to bring their generative AI into Apple Intelligence.
Cooperating with Apple will be a big win for Meta
For Meta, if the cooperation deal is successful, it will be a big win. Bringing the large language model (LLM) Llama - the company's trump card - to billions of iPhone users means opening up a huge market for Meta. Although Llama 2 and Llama 3 have been widely applied in the technology industry, entering the Apple ecosystem will be a strategic step forward, helping Meta affirm its position on the global AI map.
On Apple's side, cooperation with Meta and many other partners shows the company's wise strategy in providing a variety of AI options for users. As Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, shared, “users will want to tap into different types of expertise beyond Apple's “core” expertise, allowing for Choosing the right AI model for each specific task (creative writing, medical information research, etc.) not only enhances the user experience but also helps Apple avoid relying too much on one partner."
From confrontation to cooperation: When common interests speak up
Meta's appearance on Apple's list of potential partners is a surprise, especially considering the history of confrontation between the two technology giants. Conflict over mobile privacy in 2021 caused Meta to lose $10 billion in revenue, followed by a controversy over enhanced advertising service fees, showing that the relationship between both sides.
However, the huge potential that the AI market brings could be the catalyst that brings the two giants closer together, although the financial benefits that this agreement brings are still not really clear, despite the Partnering with Apple will help AI companies reach billions of users.
Currently, Apple says it does not require revenue sharing or service fees for AI companies during negotiations. Instead, AI companies can sell premium service subscriptions through Apple Intelligence. Similar to the App Store, Apple will take a percentage of the revenue from these subscription packages.
According to Gene Munster, veteran Apple analyst and CEO of Deepwater Asset Management, OpenAI will offer a free version of ChatGPT through Apple Intelligence, but users can also link a paid ChatGPT account to the device. Their Apple.
It is expected that ChatGPT's user base will double thanks to the partnership with Apple, but OpenAI's infrastructure costs will also increase by 30% to 40%. Munster also predicts that 10% to 20% of Apple users will choose to pay for a premium AI package, which could bring billions of dollars to AI companies that successfully integrate with Apple's new platform.
