Apple said on Friday that it was indefinitely postponing the launch of its generative artificial intelligence system in the European Union, due to “regulatory uncertainties » linked to the Digital Markets Regulation (DMA), according to a spokesperson.
The group is particularly concerned about the obligations set by the DMA in terms of interoperability, which should allow communication between different platforms and messaging systems but could pose, according to Apple, a risk for security and data protection. personal.
Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence at the beginning of June, a new nomenclature which should optimize the use of its devices, from the iPhone to the Mac, thanks to generative AI. The latter allows you to create content, in text, image or sound, upon simple request formulated in everyday language, or to obtain detailed answers to questions. With Apple Intelligence, it will now be possible to create your own personalized emoji or find a photo in your albums by describing it orally.
The Cupertino group is thus seeking to catch up in the field of generative AI, while several of its major competitors have already been offering products integrating this technology for several months. During the presentation of Apple Intelligence, Apple highlighted the security of its system, one of the company’s workhorses for decades. An iPhone owner equipped with Apple Intelligence will thus be able to benefit from the computing power of remote servers (cloud) and not be limited to the capabilities of their smartphone, without their data being stored or used by others.
Fears “ in terms of interoperability“
The DMA, which came into force at the beginning of March, should force technological giants to open up to competition. The regulation particularly targets Apple, which will notably have to authorize, on its products, the installation of application stores other than its Apple Store. “ We are concerned that the DMA’s interoperability obligations may force us to compromise the integrity of our products in a way that risks data security and data protection.“, explained the Apple spokesperson. As a result, she added, “ We do not believe that we will be able to make three features available to users in the European Union this year”including Apple Intelligence.
The postponement also concerns the possibility of projecting the image of an iPhone screen onto another medium or of sharing the contents of its screen with a person during an online conversation.
