Apple has taken steps to join the Partnership on AI, an artificial intelligence research group that already includes other leading companies in the field such as Amazon, Facebook, and Google, Bloomberg reports. Formed last September, Partnership on AI is a non-profit organization “established to study and formulate best practices on AI technologies, to advance the public’s understanding of AI, and to serve as an open platform for discussion and engagement about AI and its influences on people and society.” While Apple’s traditionally secretive approach has hampered its AI research, in December the company announced that it would begin taking a more active role in the artificial intelligence research community by publishing some of its findings. According to people familiar with the situation, Apple’s admission into the organization could be announced as early as this week. Representatives at Apple and the Partnership on AI declined to comment.
Update (01/27/2017): Partnership on AI has formally announced Apple’s induction into the organization as a founding member:
Apple has joined the Partnership on AI as a founding member. The company has been involved and collaborating with the Partnership since before it was first announced and is thrilled to formalize its membership alongside Amazon, Facebook, Google/DeepMind, IBM, and Microsoft.
Tom Gruber, co-founder of Siri, will represent Apple on the organization’s Board of Trustees, alongside new representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence & ASU, the MacArthur Foundation, OpenAI, the Peterson Institute of International Economics, and UC Berkeley, expanding the board beyond its original five members from Amazon, Facebook, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.
