Apple Inc., racing to add more artificial intelligence capabilities, is nearing the completion of a critical new software tool for app developers that would step up competition with Microsoft Corp. The company has been working on the tool for the last year as part of the next major version of Xcode, Apple’s flagship programming software. It has now expanded testing of the features internally and has ramped up development ahead of a plan to release it to third-party software makers as early as this year, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The new system will operate similarly to Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot and use artificial intelligence to predict and complete blocks of code, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. That simplifies the programming process for software development, potentially saving time and money. Apple is also exploring the use of AI to generate code for testing applications, an often tedious process. Currently, Apple is pushing some engineers to try these new AI features internally as part of a “dogfooding” effort — when a company uses its own products — to make sure they work properly before releasing them to outside developers.
The moves are part of a broader push into generative AI and large language models, the technology behind popular chatbots like ChatGPT. Apple is playing catch-up with tech peers in this burgeoning market, but has promised to discuss its plans for AI later this year. That announcement could come as soon as June, when the company holds its annual developers conference.
Full report : Apple’s AI Plans: GitHub Copilot Rival for Developers, Tool for Testing Apps.
