Apple is working with OpenAI rival Anthropic to create a new ‘vibe coding’ platform that will use AI to write, edit and test code for programmers, according to a report from Bloomberg. The new AI tool is a version of Apple’s programming software called Xcode, which will now be integrated with Anthropic’s Claude Sonnett series model (no details available on the exact model number).
Reportedly, Apple will first roll out this software update internally for testing purposes and hasn’t decided whether to make it public yet. Notably, Apple’s AI-powered coding tool for Xcode, called Swift Assit, was rolled out internally last year but was met with complaints of hallucinations (making stuff up) and even slow app development.
Apple has begun slowly rolling out the new coding platform to software and engineers across the company, and if the internal rollout is successful, the company could open it up to third-party developers. These developers rely heavily on Xcode and the Swift programming language to release apps for App products.
Meanwhile, working with Apple could be a shot in the arm for Anthropic, which has recently fallen behind the competition as rivals such as OpenAI, Google and xAI release new and better models. Despite its shortcomings, Claude’s language models are generally regarded as the best for programmers because of their ability to handle complex tasks and integrate with different platforms.
Apple’s AI plans:
While Apple’s own AI plans have yet to take off in any meaningful way, the Cupertino-based tech giant has not sought outside help to improve its products. In the two and a half years since ChatGPT’s public launch, Apple has fallen well behind Samsung and Google, who have introduced new AI features with each iteration of their products, while the iPhone maker’s own features have either proved buggy or have often been delayed.
Apple currently only has a deal with ChatGPT to power the more complex queries in Siri, and there could be a similar deal with Google’s Gemini later this year. The rest of Apple’s AI features, called Apple Intelligence, such as writing tools, genmoji and notification summaries, are all powered by the company’s internal model.