AI capabilities

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis suggests China’s AI is only months behind the West, a significant shift from previous estimates. While Chinese firms excel at catching up, Hassabis questions their ability to achieve truly novel innovations beyond current breakthroughs like the transformer architecture. This comes amidst U.S. chip restrictions impacting China’s access to advanced hardware, potentially leading to a widening capability gap despite rapid progress.

Apple is significantly enhancing its AI capabilities, with a major Siri upgrade slated for the coming year to compete with generative AI rivals. Despite delays and mixed reception to initial AI features, Apple is prioritizing custom chips and user privacy, diverging from competitors’ cloud-centric approaches. The success of this revamped Siri is seen as critical for Apple to maintain its market leadership and address future hardware shifts driven by AI.