WWDC 2024 is just around the corner, and Apple may use this annual developer conference to lay the groundwork for how its AI-based App Store will work.

This information comes from a recent interview on CNBC with Ben Reitzes, head of technology at research and investment firm Melius Research. In the interview, Reitzes was asked when he thinks Apple's final move on AI will be, and he responded about the possibility of an AI app store.

"I think in June we will start laying the groundwork for this new App Store, how it will work with AI, and how you can purchase AI apps through the App Store," Reitzes said.

"Apple will have its own apps, as always, and we'll see an upgrade to the AI assistant, hopefully Siri, so we'll see what happens.

Just recently, Apple unveiled its new MM1 AI model. This is a multimodal model that uses AI-generated data and labels to speed up the training of new models; the MM1 A1 is believed to be the basis for the new version of Siri.

Reitzes noted Apple's past success in creating a storefront, noting that the company "has a history of convincing many leaders to create apps and do things with them while perfecting the ecosystem."

Reitzes added that he believes Apple is doing the same with AI. Apple is reportedly talking with Google about bringing Google's AI model, Gemini, to the iPhone, but Reitzes believes there is more to Apple's AI efforts than that. He said, "They are talking about Google being one of the many models you can access so that this new type of app store can leverage AI."

Reitzes said that "the silicon and software will be really optimized to handle AI at the edge of the iPhone, so that you get a superior experience, with no delays."

This is not the first time that there is talk of upgrades coming to the iPhone hardware. This is not the first time. Recent leaks indicate that the iPhone 16 will receive a number of upgrades aimed at improving the AI experience, including more RAM and storage options, not to mention improvements with the upcoming A18 series chip, which is expected to arrive in phones this fall

Reitz is also expected to be the first to offer the new A18 series chip.

Whether or not Reitzes' prediction comes true, it is clear that Apple is about to hit the AI market hard; more will be revealed at WWDC 2024, which will likely take place in June.