Apple acquires AI startup in preparation for major GenAI initiative in 2024.
(Reuters) – Apple has acquired artificial intelligence (AI) startup DarwinAI and added dozens of employees to the Canadian company’s artificial intelligence division, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.
The iPhone maker bought the company earlier this year, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. The report does not mention the value of the deal.
The companies did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Apple has been slower to adopt generative AI, which can produce human-like responses to written prompts, than rivals such as Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google, which combine them into products.
Alexander Wong, an artificial intelligence researcher at the University of Waterloo who helped build DarwinAI’s business, has joined Apple as a leader in its artificial intelligence group as part of the deal, the report added.
DarwinAI has developed artificial intelligence technology to visually inspect components during the manufacturing process and serves customers in a variety of industries, Bloomberg said.
