Apple is cleverly rebutting one of its harshest criticisms

Over the last few weeks, there's been a lot of anxiety over Apple's ability to compete in artificial intelligence -- the mega-hot space that companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft see as the next big thing. At today's WWDC conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook and the rest of the presenters pulled off a neat trick: Totally and utterly rebutting that claim, without ever bringing it up once. The message is clear, if you read between the lines. Apple is signaling that artificial intelligence is the future, but that its belief on user experience trumps everything else. For instance, the iPhone is getting voicemail transcription with the next iOS update, due in the fall.