Apple, Anthropic team up to build AI-powered ‘vibe-coding' platform
[LOS ANGELES] Apple is teaming up with startup Anthropic on a new 'vibe-coding' software platform that will use artificial intelligence (AI) to write, edit and test code on behalf of programmers.
The system is a new version of Xcode, Apple's programming software, that will integrate Anthropic's Claude Sonnet model, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Apple will roll out the software internally and hasn't yet decided whether to launch it publicly, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the initiative hasn't been announced.
The work shows how Apple is using AI to improve its internal workflow, aiming to speed up and modernise product development. The approach is similar to one used by companies such as Windsurf and Cursor maker Anysphere, which offer advanced AI coding assistants popular with software developers.
In the early days of generative AI, Apple had been resistant to using AI for the creation of software that was bound for consumers. But with recent advancements in large language models – a foundation of generative AI – Apple is changing its tune.
Last year, Apple announced its own AI-powered coding tool for Xcode called Swift Assist. The company intended to roll it out in 2024 but never actually shipped it to developers. Internally, engineers complained that the company's own system could hallucinate – or make up information – and even slow down app development. The Anthropic partnership is an acknowledgment that Apple could use some outside help, though the two systems could ultimately work together.
Among all of the major large language models, Anthropic's Claude is known as one of the best when it comes to programming. The new Apple tool includes a chat interface where programmers can type in requests for code or alterations, according to the people. It also can test user interfaces, a process that is often cumbersome when done manually, as well as help manage the process of finding and fixing bugs.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Sign Up
Sign Up
Spokespeople for Apple and Anthropic declined to comment.
The move reflects Apple's greater willingness to partner with others after struggling to develop home-grown technology. So far, the company has shied away from third-party models – aside from a deal with OpenAI's ChatGPT that can fulfil queries in the Siri virtual assistant. Apple is expected to add Gemini from Alphabet's Google as an alternative to ChatGPT later this year.
The rest of the Apple Intelligence platform, which includes features such as custom emoji, writing tools and organising notifications, uses models developed by the company internally. Apple raced to create the capabilities after it was caught flat-footed by the generative AI frenzy more than two years ago.
The iPhone maker has started to slowly roll out the new coding software to engineers across its operations. If the launch is ultimately successful internally, the company could release it to third-party app developers, which mainly rely on tools such as Xcode and the Swift programming language to release apps for Apple's devices. The company is holding its annual conference for developers beginning Jun 9.
For Anthropic, working with Apple is a major boon, especially if the tool ultimately ever gets rolled out externally. Already, Anthropic has partnered with Amazon.com to help power the new Alexa+ assistant. But when Apple held talks about a Siri AI partnership last year, it only seriously considered Google and OpenAI before ultimately striking the ChatGPT deal.
AI coding technology has become increasingly popular, and OpenAI is in talks to acquire Windsurf for about US$3 billion, Bloomberg News has reported. Two-and-a-half years ago, GitHub Copilot, which offers AI-based code completion, helped push Apple executives to recognise that generative AI was an area the company was late to and should be working on.
The latest moves are part of a broader turnaround effort to catch up in AI. The company's AI tools have been criticised by users for being less capable than rival systems. Apple also had to indefinitely delay a revamped Siri that it unveiled last year.
In a bid to get back on track, the company recently shifted responsibility for Siri engineering and consumer-facing product development away from AI chief John Giannandrea. It also removed a robotics team from his command. The moves have begun a breakup of Apple's centralised approach to AI development, but also give Giannandrea's team more space to focus on underlying AI research.
With the changes, Apple software engineering head Craig Federighi has taken a bigger role in the company's AI efforts. His team is now overseeing Siri as well as some project managers dedicated to work on AI.
On Apple's second-quarter earnings call Thursday, chief executive Tim Cook defended the AI strategy. He touted the company's on-device approach – where AI models are run locally – and the integration of features across its operating systems. 'We are very excited about the roadmap, and we are pleased with the progress that we're making,' he told analysts.
Cook said that while Apple wants to have 'certain models' of its own, the company is partnering with others as well. 'I don't view it as an all of one or all of the other,' he said. BLOOMBERG
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
21 hours ago
- Business Times
Huawei launches Pura 80 smartphone series in next step of China comeback
[BEIJING] Chinese tech giant Huawei launched its Pura 80 smartphone series on Wednesday (Jun 11), as the company seeks to cement its comeback in China's premium smartphone market following years of US sanctions. Huawei's latest flagship launch demonstrates the Chinese tech giant's continued efforts to reclaim the top spot in its home market despite ongoing US sanctions. Each new phone release is closely watched as a barometre of the company's technological capabilities and market resilience following years of restrictions that severely impacted its smartphone business. Huawei's resurgence has intensified pressure on Apple, which has seen its market share in China steadily decline and has increasingly relied on price discounts to stimulate sales. Huawei unveiled the Pura 80 series through a livestream event, with consumer business unit head Yu Chengdong focusing heavily on camera capabilities and AI features while staying silent about the chips powering the devices. The series includes four models: Pura 80, Pura 80 Pro, Pura 80 Pro+, and Pura 80 Ultra. Pricing starts at 6,499 yuan (S$1,163) for the Pro series launching Jun 14, with the Pro+ also launching Jun 14 at 7,999 yuan and the Ultra at 9,999 yuan on Jun 26. The base model launches in July. The cameras use XMAGE technology and feature ultra-wide-angle and macro telephoto lenses with embedded AI that can identify objects and provide information like tourist guides. Huawei phone launches generate significant interest as many view them as the company defying US sanctions. On Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, three of the top ten trending topics on Wednesday were Pura 80-related. User reactions were mixed, with many praising the camera capabilities and sleek design while others complained the prices were too high and not worth the cost. REUTERS
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Russia fines Apple for violating 'LGBT propaganda' law, TASS reports
MOSCOW :A Russian court on Tuesday fined U.S. tech giant Apple six million roubles ($76,510) for violating Russian rules on what Moscow calls "LGBT propaganda," the state TASS news agency reported. Russia in 2023 widened existing restrictions on the promotion of "non-traditional sexual relations" amid a broader crackdown on LGBT rights, part of President Vladimir Putin's push to uphold what he calls traditional values. Apple was fined three million roubles in two civil cases on Tuesday, TASS reported. Apple was last month fined a total of 7.5 million roubles for the same offence. ($1 = 78.4205 roubles)
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Exclusive-OpenAI taps Google in unprecedented cloud deal despite AI rivalry, sources say
SAN FRANCISCO :OpenAI plans to add Alphabet's Google cloud service to meet its growing needs for computing capacity, three sources told Reuters, marking a surprising collaboration between two prominent competitors in the artificial intelligence sector. The deal, which has been under discussion for a few months, was finalized in May, one of the sources added. It underscores how massive computing demands to train and deploy AI models are reshaping the competitive dynamics in AI, and marks OpenAI's latest move to diversify its compute sources beyond its major supporter Microsoft, including its high-profile Stargate data center project. It is a win for Google's cloud unit, which will supply additional computing capacity to OpenAI's existing infrastructure for training and running its AI models, sources said, who requested anonymity to discuss private matters. The move also comes as OpenAI's ChatGPT poses the biggest threat to Google's dominant search business in years, with Google executives recently saying that the AI race may not be winner-take-all. OpenAI, Google and Microsoft declined to comment. Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, OpenAI has dealt with increasing demand for computing capacity - known in the industry as compute - for training large language models, as well as for running inference, which involves processing information so people can use these models. OpenAI said on Monday that its annualized revenue run rate surged to $10 billion as of June, positioning the company to hit its full-year target amid booming adoption of AI. Earlier this year, OpenAI partnered with SoftBank and Oracle on the $500 billion Stargate infrastructure program, and signed deals worth billions with CoreWeave for more compute. It is on track this year to finalize the design of its first in-house chip that could reduce its dependency on external hardware providers, Reuters reported in February. The partnership with Google is the latest of several maneuvers made by OpenAI to reduce its dependency on Microsoft, whose Azure cloud service had served as the ChatGPT maker's exclusive data center infrastructure provider until January. Google and OpenAI discussed an arrangement for months but were previously blocked from signing a deal due to OpenAI's lock-in with Microsoft, a source told Reuters. Microsoft and OpenAI are also in negotiations to revise the terms of their multibillion-dollar investment, including the future equity stake Microsoft will hold in OpenAI. For Google, the deal comes as the tech giant is expanding external availability of its in-house chip known as tensor processing units, or TPUs, which were historically reserved for internal use. That helped Google win customers including Big Tech player Apple as well as startups like Anthropic and Safe Superintelligence, two OpenAI competitors launched by former OpenAI leaders. Google's addition of OpenAI to its customer list shows how the tech giant has capitalized on its in-house AI technology from hardware to software to accelerate the growth of its cloud business. Google Cloud, whose $43 billion of sales comprised 12 per cent of Alphabet's 2024 revenue, has positioned itself as a neutral arbiter of computing resources in an effort to outflank Amazon and Microsoft as the cloud provider of choice for a rising legion of AI startups whose heavy infrastructure demands generate costly bills. Alphabet faces market pressure to demonstrate financial returns on its AI-related capital expenditures, which are expected to hit $75 billion this year, while maintaining its bottom line against the threat of competing AI offerings, as well as antitrust enforcement. Google's DeepMind AI unit also competes directly with OpenAI and Anthropic in a race to develop the best models and integrate those advances into consumer applications. Selling computing power reduces Google's own supply of chips while bolstering capacity-constrained rivals. The OpenAI deal will further complicate how Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai allocates the capacity between the competing interests of Google's enterprise and consumer business segments. Google already lacked sufficient capacity to meet its cloud customers' demands as of the last quarter, Chief Financial Officer Anat Ashkenazi told analysts in April. Although ChatGPT holds a large lead over Google's competing chatbot in terms of monthly users and analysts have predicted it could reduce Google's dominant search market share, Pichai has brushed aside concerns that OpenAI will usurp Google's business dominance.
