深度-为何苹果还没有破解AI

Back in 2018 it looked likeApple Inc.’s artificial intelligence efforts werefinally getting on track. Early that year,Craig Federighi, Apple’s softwarechief, gathered his senior staffand announced a blockbuster hire: Thecompany had just poachedJohn Giannandreafrom Google to be its head oAI. JG, as he’s known in the industry, had been running Google’s search anAI groups. Under his leadership, teams were deploying cutting-edge AItechnology in Photos, Translate and Gmail—work that, along with the 2014acquisition of the pioneering British company DeepMind, had given Googla reputation as a leader in AI.早在2018年，Apple Inc.的⼈⼯智能⼯作似乎终于⾛上了正轨。那年年初，苹果软件主管克雷格·费德⾥吉（Craig Federighi）召集了他的⾼级员⼯，并宣布了⼀项重磅招聘：该公司刚刚从⾕歌挖⾛了约翰·詹南德雷亚（JohnGiannandrea）担任其⼈⼯智能负责⼈。JG在业内⼴为⼈知，他⼀直在管理⾕歌的搜索和AI⼩组。在他的领导下，团队在Photos、Translate和Gmail中部署了尖端的AI技术，这些⼯作以及2014年收购了英国先驱公司DeepMind，使Google获得了AI领域领导者的声誉。To Apple’s leadership, the Giannandrea hire wasn’t just a coup at theexpense of theirfiercest rival. It was also, they hoped, the start of thecompany’s transformation into an AI powerhouse. Just before the death ofco-founderSteve Jobsin 2011, Apple had unveiled its voice assistant, Siri. Afirst, Siri felt like something out of sciencefiction—once again, Apple hadtaken a futuristic computing concept and turned it into a mainstreamproduct. But within a few years, Google,Amazon.com Inc.and othercompetitors had introduced voice assistants that felt far more advanced,while Apple’s struggled with basic comprehension and commands.对Apple的领导层来说，Giannandrea的聘⽤不仅仅是以牺牲他们最强⼤的竞争对⼿为代价的政变。他们希望，这也是公司转型为AI强国的开始。就在2011年联合创始⼈史蒂夫乔布斯去世之前，苹果推出了其语⾳助⼿Siri。起初，Siri感觉像是科幻⼩说中的东西——Apple再次将未来主义的计算概念变成了主流产品。但在⼏年内，⾕歌、Amazon.com Inc.和其他竞争对⼿推出了感觉更先进的语⾳助⼿，⽽苹果的语⾳助⼿则在基本理解和命令⽅⾯苦苦挣扎。 The Scottish-born Giannandrea would oversee a group that united all ofApple’s AI work. Several employees say top executives had long believedthe company’s challenges traced in part to the disaggregated nature ofApple’s AI efforts, which were divided among a slew of different productdevelopment teams. (The employees, like others interviewed for thisarticle, requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.) Now, machinelearning research, testing operations and Siri would be under one umbrellGiannandrea would report directly to Chief Executive OfficerTim Cook,giving AI the same prominence as software, hardware and services, themain groups that make up Apple’s workforce.出⽣于苏格兰的Giannandrea将监督⼀个整合Apple所有AI⼯作的团队。⼏名员⼯表⽰，⾼管们长期以来⼀直认为，公司⾯临的挑战部分归咎于苹果⼈⼯智能⼯作的分类性质，这些⼯作被分散在许多不同的产品开发团队中。（与本⽂采访的其他⼈⼀样，这些员⼯要求匿名讨论敏感问题。现在，机器学习研究、测试作和Siri将归为⼀类。Giannandrea将直接向⾸席执⾏官蒂姆·库克（Tim Cook）汇报⼯作，使⼈⼯智能与构成Apple员⼯的主要群体软件、硬件和服务同等重要。 Big Take⼤局Apple Has an AI Problem苹果存在AI问题Follow The Big Take daily podcast wherever you listen.⽆论您在哪⾥收听，都可以关注The Big Take每⽇播客。Federighi’s excitement in announcing the hire was palpable—Siri had beenhanded offmultiple times since its launch, ending up with him, and now hwas passing it offto Giannandrea. “This is exactly the kind of person weneeded for AI,” he told his staff. In addition to Giannandrea’s work atGoogle, where many considered him the most powerful executive exceptthe CEO, he’d been chief technology officer of internet pioneer Netscape.“Who else in the world would you get?” asks someone involved in the hireFederighi在宣布聘⽤Siri时兴奋不已——⾃推出以来，Siri已经被多次移交，最终都交给了他，现在他又把它交给了Giannandrea。“这正是我们AI需要的那种⼈，”他告诉他的员⼯。除了Giannandrea在Google的⼯作（许多⼈认为他是除CEO之外最有权势的⾼管）之外，他还曾担任互联⽹先驱Netscap的⾸席技术官。“你还会找谁呢？”Seven years after Giannandrea arrived, the optimism he brought with himgone. Apple’s AI has only fallen further behind. Since OpenAI’s ChatGPTsoftware burst into public consciousness in 2022, every major techcompany hasaccelerated its effortsto develop the large language models(LLMs) that power such programs, incorporate them into voice assistantsand other tools, and hype them to consumers.Giannandrea到来七年后，他带来的乐观情绪已经消失了。Apple的AI只会进⼀步落后。⾃OpenAI的ChatGPT软件于2022年进⼊公众视野以来，每家主要科技公司都加快了开发为此类程序提供⽀持的⼤型语⾔模型（LLM）的努⼒，将它们整合到语⾳助⼿和其他⼯具中，并向消费者⼤肆宣传。Apple, like its competitors, has rolled out new AI features, but they’vemostly been notable for being delayed and underwhelming. Last June, at itWorldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), the company announcedApple Intelligence, calling it “AI for the rest of us”—a nod to the original Madesktop,first marketed in 1984 as “the computer for the rest of us.” Promised features included new tools for improving writing, summarizingemails and notifications, as well as for generating custom emoji and imagefrom written descriptions. The company also previewed an AI-drivenrevamp of Siri. For thefirst time, Apple said, the voice assistant would beable to delve into a user’s personal data and on-screen content to answerqueries. To demonstrate, a top Giannandrea deputy asked Siri about hermom’s travel plans. The answer drew seamlessly on information fromemails and text messages to help construct an itinerary. Apple said userswould also be able to control their devices in new ways through Siri:choosing, cropping and emailing pho