Apple is the latest addition to a list of US public companies that have made voluntary commitments to AI regulations, the White House announced on July 26.
The commitments, first announced in September 2023, include promises to publicly disclose AI capabilities, watermark AI content, and more. These commitments set a public standard for the nation’s largest AI manufacturers in an effort to reduce deception and other novel and unsafe practices that could result from realistic-looking AI content or advanced capabilities.
Apple's addition “further cements these commitments as cornerstones of responsible AI innovation,” the White House said in a press release.
Government meets deadline for AI security commitments across agencies
On July 26, the White House announced that Apple had signed the pledge and that federal agencies had completed all “270-day actions under the Executive Order within the timeframe provided.” The actions range from technical guidelines to piloting the use of AI in government and bringing more professionals with AI skills into government work.
The actions are, in summary:
- Risk management for security and protection.
- Bringing AI talent into government.
- Driving responsible innovation in AI.
- Driving U.S. leadership in AI abroad.
“Agencies across the government have acted boldly,” the White House report said. “They have taken steps to mitigate AI safety and security risks, protect Americans’ privacy, advance fairness and civil rights, defend consumers and workers, promote innovation and competition, advance American leadership around the world, and more.”
For companies, the new AI actions could provide a framework for the security risks they need to consider around generative AI, whether when making or using it.
WATCH: The United States joined an international commitment to foster AI competition and prevent “entrenchment” by big companies last week.
Apple delays AI launch
Bloomberg reported that Apple will not introduce its next AI features with software updates in September. Instead, the launch of Apple Intelligence, the tech company’s new AI platform, will be delayed by at least a few weeks, though developers will get access sooner.
According to Bloomberg, developers can try out a beta version of iOS 18.1 this week, the version that introduces Apple’s AI. Apple has been relatively cautious with its AI rollouts, choosing to reveal Apple Intelligence long after Google and Microsoft’s experiments with generative AI features. Apple Intelligence will include both ChatGPT integration and Apple’s proprietary AI to power Siri’s capabilities.
General consumers will have to wait a few weeks after the release of iOS 18 for the iOS 18.1 version to incorporate artificial intelligence features.
