Apple's first ChatGPT-like tool is already being used by some customer support agents

There has been a lot of talk of late about Apple's attempt to increase its positioning in the world of AI. That will hopefully see Siri improve greatly and rumors have big AI-focused updates coming to the iPhone in 2024 - likely with the arrival of the iOS 18 update and iPhone 16 models this September. Now, a new report claims that Apple is already using a ChatGPT-like chatbot internally, with some customer support agents employing it to help them do their work.

MacRumors reports that the generative AI tool was recently launched as a pilot program that gives some AppleCare support workers access to it for testing purposes. The tool, called Ask, can automatically generate responses to technical questions that have been received from customers with Apple employees then passing the response on to customers either over the phone or via online chat systems.

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The report says that Ask will automatically use Apple's in-house knowledge base to formulate its answers and employees rate the responses as either helpful or unhelpful in an attempt to better train it. Apple reportedly wants workers to use the new tool in the first instance before relying on traditional research methods like searching the knowledge base themselves.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman had previously said that Apple will bring new generation AI features to iOS 18, and this appears to be an example of Apple's AI tools being used in another setting. Apple is likely to announce iOS 18 during its WWDC event in June before putting it through a months-long beta program. The software will then likely be made available to the public in September alongside the new iPhones.