What is Darwin AI, Apple’s Latest AI Acquisition?

• Apple has acquired Darwin AI, a Canadian AI company that helps make AI models smaller and faster
• Apple is expected to use it for its AI features in the upcoming iOS 18
• There has been no official announcement yet

Apple has acquired a Canada-based AI company named Darwin AI to boost its AI division. Although there's no official announcement of the acquisition, there are a number of facts that support these market claims.

Apple acquired as many as 32 AI startups in 2023.

For starters, a number of Darwin AI employees have joined Apple's AI division since January 2024. In fact, Alexander Wong, one of the founders of Darwin AI, is now heading Apple's AI division.

Secondly, Darwin had raised funding from investors like BDC Capital and Obvious Ventures. While BDC Capital has confirmed an exit from Darwin, Obvious Ventures has also updated its portfolio confirming the acquisition of Darwin AI.

Lastly, Darwin AI's website and social media handles have gone offline, suggesting a change in its ownership.

Why Did Apple Acquire Darwin AI?Darwin AI has developed AI tech that allows manufacturers to visually inspect components during manufacturing. The company also specializes in making AI models smaller and faster.

Apple aims to use this for their upcoming line of AI features expected to roll out at the end of the year.

The tech giant has fallen behind in the ongoing AI race. Ever since OpenAI launched ChatGPT, competitors like Google and Microsoft have also developed and launched their own AI Chatbots.

• Gemini has become an integral part of Google's ecosystem, capable of creating a hyper-immersive and personalized experience for users.
• Similarly, Microsoft has introduced a dedicated Copilot button on its new keyboards for its AI features.
• Nvidia also launched the RTX chatbot which can be utilized by users to generate their own AI models.

Only Apple remains a top tech giant that hasn't made a significant move towards AI. However, experts believe this will change soon.

As of July 2023 reports, Apple is working on Apple-GPT' - its own version of ChatGPT and Bard-like tools, powered by its proprietary large language model framework called Ajax.

Although it has not been released for use, a large number of Apple employees are said to be using Apple GPT for work purposes.

Tim Cook has also hinted at some generative AI features in the upcoming iOS 18 update. Apple's Siri can see major changes with features like AI summarization and smart replies.

We've got some things that we are incredibly excited about that we'll be talking about later this year.Tim Cook

The acquisition of Darwin AI will certainly help Apple develop finer and more accurate AI features in its upcoming launches.

The post What is Darwin AI, Apple's Latest AI Acquisition? appeared first on The Tech Report.