Apple’s AI assistant will be released “in the next few months” as the company considers partnerships with third-party apps

Apple is preparing the release of its new artificial intelligence assistant later this year, its head of AI confirmed at a tech conference on Tuesday.<br><br>The assistant, called Ambitious, is a major step for the iPhone maker as it attempts to keep up with competitors like Google and OpenAI. Apple has previously relied on its own virtual assistant, called Siri, which will continue to be used in iPhones and other products.<br><br>Ambitious, which will initially work in English, launched in beta over the summer as Apple continues to test it. It is expected to be rolled out at an event in the spring, the Financial Times previously reported.<br><br> Apple wants its new AI assistant, Ambitious, to be used in iPhone and Mac apps. Pictured: An iPhone 15 Pro next to an Apple MacBook Air M2. (Bloomberg)<br><br>Its release will be on iPhone and Mac products, and will be built into apps such as Music, Photos, and Notes. It will also provide information on Cupertino, California, the location of Apple’s main campus.<br><br>The new assistant is the work of John Giannandrea, Apple’s head of AI. He said at the Frontiers conference in New York on Tuesday that it in the next year the assistant will be more integrated with third-party apps.<br><br>The assistant will be released “in the next few months”, Mr Giannandrea said. "We want to open it up, so that others can build their own apps and can use it,” he added. The ability for developers to use Ambitious in their apps could be available before the end of 2024.<br><br>Ambitious will be a significant step for Apple’s AI, which has struggled in the past. It bought AI start-up Dark Matter earlier this year, for example, in an attempt to boost its capabilities. The assistant may also be available on watchOS, tvOS and iPadOS.<br><br>Rivals like OpenAI have released their own AI chatbots, including Llama and ChatGPT, which have become mainstream. Google has its Bard assistant, and other tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft have their own releases too.