Apple Launches Blog Focusing On Its Artificial Intelligence Research

As a company, Apple’s been known for exploring various side ventures. Its latest project isn’t the most high profile, but points to a growing field the company wants to explore further. Apple has launched the Apple Machine Learning Journal, an outlet that focuses on the work Apple engineers are doing with machine learning.

In an introductory post on the site, Apple says it wants to highlight the research staffers are doing “using machine learning technologies to help build innovative products for millions of people around the world.” The first paper on the site, Improving the Realism of Synthetic Images, focuses on ways to refine the quality of simulated images used in machine learning training to make sure models don’t incorrectly process unnecessary details.

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Machine learning refers to a growing subfield within artificial intelligence research that focuses on machines developing the independent ability to dynamically learn and understand data without direct human control.

Among similar consumer technology companies, Apple is far from the first to dip into academic research and publishing. Companies like Alphabet and Facebook have maintained similar blogs or sections that purely focus on showcasing internal research from their employees. While these sites are admittedly denser than more consumer-facing sections, they generally let companies highlight the depth of research they’re doing in various fields for researchers and potential future hires.

For Apple, the company has kept a relatively low profile for its AI efforts. But the company has quietly bolstered its internal research hires and at its Worldwide Developers Conference this year, Apple also showcased Core ML, a framework that makes machine learning models easier to use on iOS and macOS.

The journal launch also reflects the burgeoning interest companies have developed in artificial intelligence. Within the past few months, Microsoft and Google have been among the highest profile companies increasing their AI presence. Both companies have made significant inroads with their own research and from partnerships with various Canadian universities and research groups.

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This interest has also been reflected among venture capital firms and investors. Earlier this month, Google launched Gradient Ventures, a venture firm that solely focuses on investment in companies doing work with artificial intelligence. Canadian AI company and incubator Element AI also locked down $102 million in Series A funding from investors including Intel Capital and Nvidia.

For both companies and investors, the wide range of fields that artificial intelligence can encompass have made it an appealing area for development. With applications ranging from enterprise-level machine learning and self-driving cars to home virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, numerous companies believe that artificial intelligence could be the next boon for development.