WSJ: Apple and Meta Have Discussed AI Partnership

FILE PHOTO: Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at The Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020.  REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at The Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
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WSJ: Apple and Meta Have Discussed AI Partnership

FILE PHOTO: Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at The Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020.  REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at The Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

Facebook parent Meta Platforms has discussed integrating its generative AI model into Apple's recently announced AI system for iPhones, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

AI startup Anthropic has been in discussions with Apple to bring its generative AI to Apple Intelligence, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Apple, Meta, and Anthropic did not respond immediately to requests for comment outside business hours.
The discussions have not been finalized and could fall through, the Journal reported, adding that deals with Apple would help AI companies to obtain a wider distribution of their products.
The size of potential financial windfall is unclear, but the talks involved AI companies selling premium subscriptions to their services through Apple Intelligence, the report said.
AI search startup Perplexity has also been in discussions with Apple about bringing its generative AI technology to Apple Intelligence, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The iPhone maker announced long-awaited AI strategy this month, saying it would integrate new Apple Intelligence technology across its suite of apps, including Siri, and bring Microsoft-backed OpenAI chatbot ChatGPT to its devices.



AI Chatbot Startup Character.AI Launches New Calls Feature

Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Artificial Intelligence AI" in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Artificial Intelligence AI" in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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AI Chatbot Startup Character.AI Launches New Calls Feature

Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Artificial Intelligence AI" in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Artificial Intelligence AI" in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. (Reuters)

Artificial Intelligence chatbot startup Character.AI said on Thursday it has launched a calls feature that allows users to have voice conversations with their AI characters, ratcheting up efforts to compete with rivals including OpenAI.

AI-boom has prompted startups to release new features to their chatbots as competitors such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Google and Amazon.com-backed Anthropic are looking to gain market share by engaging new users.

The availability of free two-way voice calls on Character.AI's app has come following OpenAI's announcement on Tuesday that the ChatGPT maker's rollout of the advanced voice mode of its latest model GPT-4o is delayed by one month.

Character.AI, co-founded by Noam Shazeer, who helped invent "transformer" AI architecture while at Google that underpins systems like Gemini and ChatGPT, enables users to create customized AI companions with specific personalities and values.

The Menlo Park, California-based startup said the new calls feature prompted more than 20 million calls from over 3 million unique users in its early rollout, suggesting a strong engagement.

Character.AI launched Character Voice, a suite of features that allows users to hear characters speaking to them in one-on-one chats, for all users in March.

Alphabet's Google was in talks to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Character.AI last year, two sources briefed on the matter had told Reuters.