By Jean Leon
Publication Date: 2026-04-24 14:56:00
“AI slop”—have you heard that term? That’s what people often call low-quality, and usually unsolicited, AI content. It can be especially annoying when users feel like companies are trying to “force” them to use or consume the technology. That said, on smartphones, AI-powered features have proven to be quite useful for everyday tasks. Apple, a latecomer to the party, shares this view. Now, Aravind Srinivas, the CEO of Perplexity, believes the iPhone is not in any danger of being disrupted by AI. In fact, he argues that the technology will only make Apple’s flagship product even better.
Perplexity CEO says AI won’t disrupt iPhone but rather convert it into “digital passports”
Speaking on the This Week in AI podcast, Srinivas shared an interesting perspective. He suggests that as AI technology improves, the iPhone evolves from a communication tool to a “digital passport.”
We’ve always heard about how closed the Apple ecosystem can be compared to Android. This approach has its advantages and disadvantages, although for AI implementation, Perplexity’s CEO believes it can be positive. Srinivas calls the ecosystem lock-in “underrated” due to a hardware integration that is difficult to replicate. Even with the long-rumored delays of the Siri overhaul, Apple can afford to take its time because users are deeply invested in the brand’s infrastructure.
It isn’t just about the software. Apple’s custom silicon and auxiliary…
