Apple Inc[1] sees its mobile devices as a major platform for artificial intelligence in the future, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams[2] said on Monday.
Later this week, Apple is set to begin taking pre-orders for its new smartphone, the iPhone X[3] – which starts at $999 (roughly Rs. 65,000) and uses artificial intelligence (AI)[4] features embedded in the company’s latest A11 chips.
The phone promises new facial recognition features such as Face ID that uses a mathematical model of a person’s face to allow the user to sign on to their phones or pay for goods with a steady glance at their phones.
"We think that the frameworks that we've got, the 'neural engines' we've put in the phone, in the watch ... we do view that as a huge piece of the future, we believe these frameworks will allow developers to create apps that will do more and more in this space, so we think the phone is a major platform," Williams said.
He was speaking at top chip manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's 30th anniversary celebration in Taipei, which was attended by global tech executives.
Williams said technological innovations, especially involving the cloud and on-device processing, will improve life without sacrificing privacy or security.
"I think we're at an inflection point, with on-device computing, coupled with the potential of AI, to really change the world," he said.
He said AI could be used to change the way healthcare is delivered, an industry he sees as "ripe" for change.
Williams said Apple's integration of artificial intelligence wouldn't be just limited to mobile phones.
"Some pieces will be done in data centres, some will be on the device,...