Microsoft Planning Privacy-Focused Version of ChatGPT as Apple AI Efforts Flounder

[MacRumors]

Microsoft is planning to launch a privacy-focused version of ChatGPT amid Apple's apparent lack of grip on emerging AI technologies, The Information reports.

Microsoft's Azure cloud server unit plans to offer a version of ChatGPT that runs on dedicated cloud servers where the data is kept separate from that of other customers later this quarter. Data on this isolated server will not communicate with the main ChatGPT system to preserve privacy. The service could cost as much as 10 times more than what customers currently pay to use ChatGPT.

The move seeks to appeal to businesses, such as banks, financial services, and healthcare institutions, who have avoided adopting ChatGPT out of fear that their employees could inadvertently give the chatbot sensitive proprietary information. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today reported that Samsung has banned employee use of generative AI utilities like ChatGPT after the discovery that staff had uploaded sensitive source code to the platform. The company is said to be concerned that data transmitted to artificial intelligence platforms including Bing and Google Bard could end up being disclosed to other users.

OpenAI has already sold Morgan Stanley a private ChatGPT service that does not involve Microsoft. The bank's wealth management division is already using the service to allow employees to ask questions and analyze content in thousands of the bank's market research documents.

Microsoft salespeople are said to already be fielding inquiries from organizations about the forthcoming product. Many large customers, including banks, have existing contracts with Azure, which could prove advantageous in persuading them Microsoft will manage their data securely.

Last week, it emerged that Siri and Apple's AI efforts have been severely hamstrung by organizational dysfunction and a lack of ambition. Many Apple employees purportedly left the company because it was too slow to make decisions or too conservative in its approach to new AI technologies, including the large-language models that underpin chatbots like ChatGPT.

Microsoft's latest move seemingly leapfrogs Apple to offer a privacy-focused AI chatbot in a ringfenced environment. Apple's uncompromising stance on privacy and insistence on a high level of control over its products and services has reportedly created considerable challenges for enhancing ‌Siri and the company's investment in AI technologies‌.

Apple has pushed for an increasing number of Siri's functions to be performed on-device and the company apparently prefers ‌its responses to be pre-written by a team of around 20 writers, rather than AI-generated, to maximize privacy and control. This has seemingly left the company out of the AI chatbot race, allowing Microsoft to flaunt Apple's preferred privacy credentials in the AI arena.

Article Link: Microsoft Planning Privacy-Focused Version of ChatGPT as Apple AI Efforts Flounder

 

[icanhazmac]

Microsoft & Privacy in the same sentence is almost as funny as Google & Privacy!

Edit: For everyone butt hurt by my comment:

A professor says Edge is the worst for privacy. Microsoft isn't happy

Could it be that Google was right to accuse Microsoft Edge of being insecure? New research suggested it's the least private browser you can have. So I asked Redmond what it thought.

www.zdnet.com

Microsoft Edge Sends Data to Bing for Every Visited Website, Raising Privacy Issues

Microsoft was recently discovered to have been sharing every visited website to its search engine. A newly discovered privacy issue on the Microsoft Edge browser is enraging users because it sends every website visited by a user on the platform to the Bing search engine, turned on by default unless

www.techtimes.com

Microsoft Confirms Windows 10 Privacy Investigation With A $4 Billion Sting

The thorny issue of Windows 10 data collection and user consent could bite hard as an investigation is confirmed with a potential fine of up to 4% of Microsoft's annual $100 billion global turnover at stake.

www.forbes.com

Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx are collecting more customer data than they appear to be

Be aware of what you’re agreeing to in the privacy policy.

www.theverge.com

https://techgenix.com/microsoft-365-ban-in-germany/

I could go on but it seems unnecessary.

 

[louis^]

Microsoft and privacy in one sentence. Lol

 

[Red Oak]

Let’s be clear - Microsoft bought themselves a seat at the table with their investment in OpenAI. They do not have any inside expertise in AI or speech assistants. Does anyone remember Cortana?

They are simply using OpenAI APIs to integrate that service across various customer touch-points (e.g. Bing). Everyone is acting like Microsoft themselves did something dramatically innovative

 

[contacos]

I am starting to worry that I am getting old and follow into the steps of my parents. Loosing the plot without realising it ... 😅

First there was crypto currency - never understood it
Then there was NFT - never understood it
Now there is ChatGPT - hardly understand it, but mostly since I do not feel like I want to get involved either. Seems like one of those things that the media tries really hard to make you believe that you NEED it

You will find me on Instagram - remembering RealPlayer and AIM, wondering if things like Limewire or Kazaa still exist today

 

[555gallardo]

I wonder if it so hard for Apple to create an enhanced, optional Pro version of Siri that is way more advanced, AI-powered, for the sake of less privacy.

 

[ghanwani]

Apple is introducing a new AI-powered savings accounts that pays you an individual rate that will be the lowest rate that it thinks will keep your money with them. Take that Microsoft!

 

[tomnavratil]

People need to realize that creating a NLP or LLMs are just one, quite specific area of AI that could be quite tricky to integrate with other services or layers such as hardware. However AI-generative services will probably be much more common even at enterprise level. Microsoft is integrating Open AI's models within Office365 quite heavily and for a good reason, it can produce better results than juniors faster, and when prompted correctly, with fewer errors.

 

[Mr. Dee]

Could people stop bad mouthing Microsoft regarding privacy? Remember, Apple makes Google search its default search engine in Safari. Also, which of the lesser evil would you rather choose? Also remember, 89% of computers run on Windows and the vast majority are in the Enterprise. If you go to a bank to do any transaction, you are least likely to find a Mac or Linux computer. Obviously businesses have a lot of confidence in Microsoft software and technologies to trust them with their data. If you work in a company and even use Apple devices, 9 times out of 10 it’s gonna be managed by Azure using MDM policies.

Let’s just stop trying to save face and admit Apple sucks at AI and services like Search.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Apple floundering AI just like they floundered the game industry.

 

[canadianspeculator]

I am starting to worry that I am getting old and follow into the steps of my parents. Loosing the plot without realising it ... 😅

First there was crypto currency - never understood it
Then there was NFT - never understood it
Now there is ChatGPT - hardly understand it, but mostly since I do not feel like I want to get involved either. Seems like one of those things that the media tries really hard to make you believe that you NEED it

You will find me on Instagram - remembering RealPlayer and AIM, wondering if things like Limewire or Kazaa still exist today

I very much agree. For months when I log into twitter I've been told I'm weeks away from being replaced by an AI bot. Yet every time I try to use Chat GPT to improve my workflow, it is completely unable to assist. Incorrect dates, redundant sentences, and sources that don't even exist being cited. And it doesn't seem like anybody has a credible path to making it better, given that training information is likely to only become more walled off! I don't think Chat GPT will replace history professors any time soon

 

[siddavis]

Microsoft has become nimble while Apple is now the sluggish behemoth.

 

[ElCidRo]

I am starting to worry that I am getting old and follow into the steps of my parents. Loosing the plot without realising it ... 😅

First there was crypto currency - never understood it
Then there was NFT - never understood it
Now there is ChatGPT - hardly understand it, but mostly since I do not feel like I want to get involved either. Seems like one of those things that the media tries really hard to make you believe that you NEED it

You will find me on Instagram - remembering RealPlayer and AIM, wondering if things like Limewire or Kazaa still exist today

AI is really shaking things up these days, and it's nothing like crypto. It's already changed a bunch of fields, and we're just getting started. Some areas like design, photography, and writing are getting hit hard, making it a tough time to work or even study in those fields.
The Hollywood writers' strike is just one example of how AI is causing a stir. And as AI keeps growing, it's gonna reach into more industries like healthcare, customer service, and transportation. We all need to get used to the changes and make the most of what AI has to offer, while also dealing with the challenges it brings along. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and we can't even imagine how much more things will change because of AI.
PS: wait until all the music and video is AI generated. It's probably a few years away for video. Music is already getting started.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Microsoft & Privacy in the same sentence is almost as funny as Google & Privacy!

It's not like apple cares about your privacy either mind you

 

[ElCidRo]

I very much agree. For months when I log into twitter I've been told I'm weeks away from being replaced by an AI bot. Yet every time I try to use Chat GPT to improve my workflow, it is completely unable to assist. Incorrect dates, redundant sentences, and sources that don't even exist being cited. And it doesn't seem like anybody has a credible path to making it better, given that training information is likely to only become more walled off! I don't think Chat GPT will replace history professors any time soon

Are you talking about GPT 3.5 or the latest model GPT 4? Because the difference is massive.

 

[klasma]

Let’s be clear - Microsoft bought themselves a seat at the table with their investment in OpenAI. They do not have any inside expertise in AI or speech assistants. Does anyone remember Cortana?

They are simply using OpenAI APIs to integrate that service across various customer touch-points (e.g. Bing). Everyone is acting like Microsoft themselves did something dramatically innovative

Quite similar to what Apple did by buying Siri.

 

[sw1tcher]

I wonder if it so hard for Apple to create an enhanced, optional Pro version of Siri that is way more advanced, AI-powered, for the sake of less privacy.

If there was a better and optional version, it'll be a Pro Max or Ultra version, not Pro.

 

[canadianspeculator]

Are you talking about GPT 3.5 or the latest model GPT 4? Because the difference is massive.

I have 4 through my institution, and while the difference in superficial writing is massive, it is not any more knowledgable about my research subjects than 3.5 was, and still is unable to produce actual academic text or research. The fake sources problem is particularly bad!

 

[klasma]

I wonder if it so hard for Apple to create an enhanced, optional Pro version of Siri that is way more advanced, AI-powered, for the sake of less privacy.

I don’t think that privacy is what’s primarily holding back Siri. From the reports, it’s more organizational dysfunction and that the original engineers have left Apple.

 

[Crowbot]

I'd love to try ChatGPT but they want my phone number. Sorry, no.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I am starting to worry that I am getting old and follow into the steps of my parents. Loosing the plot without realising it ... 😅

First there was crypto currency - never understood it
Then there was NFT - never understood it
Now there is ChatGPT - hardly understand it, but mostly since I do not feel like I want to get involved either. Seems like one of those things that the media tries really hard to make you believe that you NEED it

I hear you. I find myself wondering if this is a real and true value thing or if many industries that revolve around tech buzzwords ran out of ideas to rebrand "cloud" and are thus jumping on AI? Cloud is still just separating people and businesses from direct control of their own data... a hard drive controlled by for-profit strangers if you will. I've watched it evolve to "cloud" and then through prefix/suffix tags into things like "hybrid cloud" etc. Its like some big brains were sitting around hunting for new revenue and someone asked, "how can we wedge ourselves in between computer use and computer storage? How can we monetize the hard drive beyond the sale of the hard drive?"

Is the term AI the new buzzword? When it tires, will it get tagged hybrid AI, AI cloud, AI wheelhouse, hybrid AI cloud wheelhouse, AI paradigm, hybrid AI paradigm, Liquid Retina HD AI, Magical AI, AI PRO, AI MAX, AI Ultra and so on... until the voices of the industry tire of it and move on to the next buzzy word or phrase and begin again? Or is there something genuinely big here... in 2023?

Like "cloud", I think there is "something" here. Is it- in 2023 anyway- world changing or is it basically Y2K-type spin on spin on spin again... where everyone will make gigantic tech investments to try to be ready for "it" and then not so much will actually come from all the hubbub.

With Apple apparently taking a fresh crack at VR/AR, it looks like it will also be competing for buzzy (word) attention for a while. Will both come together? AI VR? AR AI?

"Hybrid Cloud AI VR in the new PRO/MAX paradigm in my liquid retina HD, dynamic island wheelhouse!"

Sometimes, I think uninformed brains imagine Star Trek AI, when the whole thing might be barely Siri + to maybe Alexa +... at least in 2023. We'll see... or perhaps it will see before "we"???

 

[adrianlondon]

"Siri, why do your efforts flounder?"

Siri: "Flounder is a type of fish."

 

[redheeler]

Let’s be clear - Microsoft bought themselves a seat at the table with their investment in OpenAI. They do not have any inside expertise in AI or speech assistants. Does anyone remember Cortana?

They are simply using OpenAI APIs to integrate that service across various customer touch-points (e.g. Bing). Everyone is acting like Microsoft themselves did something dramatically innovative

This has been Microsoft's business strategy from day 1. Look up the history of DOS...

If you can't innovate then simply buy out someone else who can and take all the credit because capitalism.

 

[Natrium]

Let’s be clear - Microsoft bought themselves a seat at the table with their investment in OpenAI. They do not have any inside expertise in AI or speech assistants. Does anyone remember Cortana?

They are simply using OpenAI APIs to integrate that service across various customer touch-points (e.g. Bing). Everyone is acting like Microsoft themselves did something dramatically innovative

That’s the way business works. Businesses innovate by investing in people, companies and intellectual property. Apple could also have invested in OpenAI. Instead, Apple chose to stick with Siri, which is based on technology Apple acquired from another company over a decade ago. I’m afraid Apple lost the AI race unless they radically change their strategy immediately.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Apple floundering AI just like they floundered the game industry.

Did Apple flounder the gaming industry?
They made more money off mobile gaming than Microsoft did off of the Xbox and Windows gaming in 2021, so…

Apple earned the third-most gaming revenue in 2021, outpacing Microsoft & Nintendo | AppleInsider

In 2021, Apple ranked third in gaming revenue amongst global public companies, just behind Sony and ahead of Microsoft.

appleinsider.com

I’m going to say… No. No they didn’t.
Now you can dive deep into if mobile gaming is actual “true” gaming or not, but gamers lie. Money doesn’t.
And apple is making a lot of money off of mobile gaming.