Apple introduced the Apple Intelligence feature at WWDC24 back in June. However, according to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, some Apple employees believe the company is two years behind its competitors in AI development.

The Apple Intelligence includes several features, such as AI notification summaries, intelligent prioritization for important alerts, a new Siri with personal context, Image Playground, Genmoji, and more.

According to a report from 9to5Mac, one of the main challenges facing Apple Intelligence is that it mostly depends on models that can run on-device, which also means that Apple Intelligence has quite high requirements for device.

To run Apple Intelligence, users will need a device equipped with at least an A17 or M1 chipset, and it must have a minimum of 8 GB of memory to support the personal intelligence system, as highlighted by 9to5Mac.

The report from 9to5Mac noted that since the models primarily operate on-device, the volume of information they can process is inherently limited. This is also why Apple has chosen to integrate Siri with ChatGPT.

According to the announcement by OpenAI, Apple will support GPT-4o across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. GPT-4o will be integrated into Siri and Writing Tools, with the expectation that this integration will help reduce the knowledge gap.

Regarding the knowledge gap, according to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Apple’s internal research shows that ChatGPT is about 25% more accurate than Siri and can answer about 30% more questions, leading some Apple employees to believe the company is two years behind its competitors in AI development.

Nonetheless, Gurman believes that Apple still has the potential to catch up, as they can often successfully catch up with competitors in areas where they seem to be lagging behind, demonstrated by its experience with Apple Maps.

Furthermore, Gurman also pointed out that Apple has another advantage in its efforts to catch up: the ability to deploy features across a vast array of devices. Apple can quickly equip its current products with the technology required to support new software. We can expect to see this again soon with the rollout of the M4 Macs, which will accelerate Apple’s AI tasks, as indicated by Gurman.

According to Gurman, Apple Intelligence will be available on nearly every Apple device with a screen by 2026. The iPhone SE is set to receive this feature in March, along with the A18 chip, while the entry-level iPad is expected to be updated later in 2025.

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(Photo credit: Apple)

Amid the wave of global AI investments, China’s TikTok has confirmed the layoff of employees from its Malaysia division. According to a report by Reuters, over 700 employees have been laid off as the company pivots to increased use of AI for content moderation.

The information was first revealed by local media the Malaysian Reserve last Thursday, as the report notes that over 500 individuals were let go after receiving emails from the company. Most of the workers, according to the report, are said to be involved in content moderation on the platform.

The job cuts come as global tech companies are facing growing regulatory pressure in Malaysia, where the government mandates social media operators to apply for an operating license to combat cyber offenses.

According to a previous report by the South China Morning Post, social media and internet messaging platforms with over 8 million users in Malaysia must obtain a license by New Year’s Eve next year or face penalties under current cyber laws.

It is worth noting that more layoffs might be on the way, according to Reuters. Citing sources familiar with the situation, Reuters suggests that the Chinese tech giant is planning further layoffs next month as it aims to streamline some of its regional operations.

In response to inquiries from Reuters, TikTok confirmed the layoffs last Friday, but refused to provide an exact number of employees affected in Malaysia. According to a TikTok statement cited by Reuters, the company is implementing these changes as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance the global operating model for content moderation.

TikTok utilizes a combination of automated detection and human moderators to review the content posted on its platform, Reuters notes.

Furthermore, the Chinese tech giant reportedly plans to invest USD 2 billion in trust and safety this year and will continue to focus on improving efficiency, noting that 80% of content that violates guidelines is now removed by automated technologies, according to Reuters.

According to the company’s website, ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, has over 150,000 employees based out of nearly 120 cities worldwide.

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(Photo credit: TikTok)

In light of slow revenue growth in the Chinese market, China’s AI startups are seeking to enter the U.S. market in pursuit of overseas growth opportunities, following the successful model of the short video platform TikTok, according to a report by Commercial Times.

According to a report by the Financial Times, despite U.S. restrictions on chip exports to China, the country still maintains a competitive advantage in launching products like chatbots that do not require substantial computing resources.

The report highlights that Chinese AI companies, including MiniMax, TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, and 01.AI, have introduced AI products overseas, particularly targeting the U.S. market, which boasts a larger base of high-end consumer users.

These Chinese app companies have seen significant success. For instance, the report in Commercial Times points out that the majority of MiniMax’s sales stem from its chatbot application “Talkie,” which has gained immense popularity among American teenagers.

Shanghai-based MiniMax has made major breakthroughs in the past year, and the company plans to reach a sales target of USD 70 million in 2024, Commercial Times notes.

The Financial Times report also highlights that Chinese company ByteDance has launched several AI apps internationally. ByteDance’s photo editing application “Hypic,” along with Zuoyebang’s homework assistant “Question AI,” both made it into the top 20 downloads internationally.

However, according to the Financial Times report, Chinese companies still face certain challenges. Firstly, the opportunities for revenue growth are limited due to the high costs associated with training language models, which can negatively impact the potential of these companies. Additionally, to mitigate external risks, Chinese firms need to take measures such as placing servers outside of China to avoid the potential crisis of TikTok being banned in the United States.

Lisa Su of AMD recently celebrated a decade as CEO, a remarkable journey that has transformed the company from a challenging position into one of the most influential players in the AI landscape.

10 years ago I had the honor of a lifetime to be named @AMD CEO. It’s been an incredible journey with so many proud moments. Today I want to thank the global @AMD team for all you do. As amazing as the last 10 years have been, the best is yet to come. 🥰 pic.twitter.com/WuQRt3xlX3

— Lisa Su (@LisaSu) October 8, 2024

When Lisa Su first joined AMD, the company was on the brink of bankruptcy, having laid off nearly a quarter of its workforce, while its stock price had plummeted to just USD 2.

Su’s achievements at AMD are numerous, particularly her revamp of the product portfolio. The reforms she implemented as CEO significantly shaped the company’s future success.

Notably, as reported by CNN, when Su first took the position as CEO of AMD, she decided not to pursue technology for mobile phones or Internet of Things sensors, recognizing that while these areas are promising, they are not AMD’s core competencies.

(Photo Credit: AMD)

In an interview with CNBC, Foxconn’s chairman Young Liu pointed out that as advanced language models keep evolving, the investment in AI boom will continue as well. Liu suggested that the AI boom “still has some time to go,” as advanced language models like OpenAI continue to grow increasingly intelligent with each update.

He stated that the current trend in the technology industry is the development of AI that is as intelligent as humans, or even smarter. This type of AI is referred to as “AGI,” or “artificial general intelligence.”

Citing Liu’s remarks, the report noted that among the discussions about AGI and various levels of intelligence, the intelligence can be categorized into four levels. According to Liu, we are currently at level two, with levels three and four yet to be reached. Liu also noted that the advancement of AI towards greater intelligence will undoubtedly benefit the AI server industry and has been a significant driver of Foxconn’s growth this year.

Regarding the demand for NVIDIA’s new generation Blackwell GPU, Liu remarked that the chip demand was “far beyond our expectations.” He also mentioned that Foxconn is constructing a new factory in Mexico to meet this substantial demand. His comments align with those of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, who has previously characterized the demand for Blackwell as “insane,” according to CNBC.

Despite concerns about potential yield issues with NVIDIA’s GB200, the company remains on schedule to deliver the chips by the fourth quarter of 2024, according to Liu. Foxconn, a key contract manufacturer for the GB200, expects substantial growth fueled by strong demand for AI servers.

Furthermore, Liu suggested that generative AI-related devices will be the next growth area, noting that the company is currently witnessing this trend in the cloud, where demand for generative AI cloud devices is exceptionally strong. In the next phase, the market will see further development of generative AI devices, according to Liu.

(Photo credit: Foxconn)