Apple wants to train AI on your private personal data

(machinelearning.apple.com)

24 points | by croes 1 hour ago

6 comments

  • nojs 28 minutes ago
    Regarding the architecture:

    > Instead of forcing the entire model into DRAM, the full model is stored in flash memory (NAND). Because NAND-to-DRAM bandwidth is too slow to swap weights token by token, as standard MoE models require, AFM 3 Core Advanced makes routing decisions per prompt. A lightweight, dense block selects a fixed set of experts during initial processing, periodically reselecting them during generation. To minimize data movement, the model relies on a high percentage of always-active “shared experts” alongside input-dependent “routed experts” swapped into DRAM only when needed.

    This is an interesting hybrid between MoE and managing entirely separate domain-specific models. Select the experts once, bring them into memory, and run inference for some period of time before re-evaluating. Saves having all experts in memory, but it's better than just selecting a whole model per query since you have a high number of small opaque experts that overlap and combine in interesting ways.

    There is a probably a massive quality hit to doing this but it's interesting because it allows infinite scaling of model size.

  • EAtmULFO 57 minutes ago
    Changed again?

    "We do not use our users’ private personal data or user interactions when training our foundation models. We also respect the rights of web publishers to opt out of foundation model training."

    • croes 47 minutes ago
      Further down. Point 4 under Responsible AI
      • classified 35 minutes ago
        Your private personal data and interactions are never used to train our foundation models unless you explicitly choose to help improve them.

        That's practically the opposite of what your editorialized submission title says.

  • MattDamonSpace 46 minutes ago
    Title seems misleading if not outright wrong, having read the article.
  • orliesaurus 48 minutes ago
    what a coincidence, i thought we were going to slow down training (amodei, altman et al.)
  • throwaway55353 45 minutes ago
    Apple keeps taking potshots at their own feet.

    What Apple consumers want from Apple is a premium product without all the enshittification found everywhere else. I don't know what Apple thinks it's doing by introducing so many ads into everything (maps now!) and shuffling their feet backwards on all their privacy positions.

    In a world where every company steals all my data equally, and is ridden with the same crappy ads, why on Earth would I pay a hefty premium to Apple? It's just so stupid and short-sighted in terms of product differentiation.

  • croes 1 hour ago
    They changed

    > We do not use our users’ private personal data or user interactions when training our foundation models.

    https://web.archive.org/web/20260829051311/https://machinele...

    to

    > Your private personal data and interactions are never used to train our foundation models unless you explicitly choose to help improve them.

    https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/introducing-third...

    • andsoitis 1 hour ago
      > unless you explicitly choose to help improve them.

      Is it opt-in or opt-out? Big difference.

      • oefrha 52 minutes ago
        So far Apple has been using default-checked checkbox during onboarding process for OS-level “help us improve…” diagnostics collection. Not sure about this specifically.
        • dented42 45 minutes ago
          I don’t think that counts as an automatic opt-in, given that it’s presented to the user directly during the setup process.
          • oefrha 35 minutes ago
            It means my mother will have it on, at least, if they use the same pattern.
      • pixelatedindex 54 minutes ago
        Explicitly choosing to help improve something by providing your data seems like an opt-in but what do I know these days
      • altano 54 minutes ago
        Opt-in = explicit and opt-out = implicit. You can't have implicit opt-in, that wouldn't make any sense.
        • cassianoleal 47 minutes ago
          You can't have implicit opt-out either. Opting is an explicit act.
      • WaltPurvis 40 minutes ago
        The sentence prior states: "Privacy is the default, not something you have to manage."