In the wake of a major change at Apple Inc.’s artificial intelligence and machine learning division, or AIML. According to reports, nearly a dozen team members have recently left the company. This departure is further stretching efforts to improve its AI capabilities. This trend is dangerous for the future of strategic projects, especially the future of development of Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant.
Among the recent exits is Yang, who had been leading the Answers, Knowledge and Information (AKI) team. This team continues to push Siri’s functionality in exciting new directions. Their stated objective with the assistant is to have the assistant query the web for real-time information. The AKI team’s new and unique goals are an important step as Apple continues to try and improve its standing in the rapidly evolving AI search arena. They are up against serious heavyweights such as OpenAI, Perplexity and of course Google.
The timing of these exits is very important. Apple is rumored to be prepping an overhaul of Siri that’s coming as soon as this March. This update will bring those state-of-the-art amenities in step with the company’s vision. It has taken steps to embed AI technology further beyond the surface into its entire product portfolio. The extraordinary loss of talent represents both an immediate and long-term challenge to achieving these ambitious goals.
Yang’s departure comes immediately after the exit of Rouming Pang from Apple. Pang, who previously headed up AI models at Apple before joining Meta earlier this year, was present. Pang’s exit marked the beginning of a concerning trend within Apple’s AIML team. As Bloomberg notes, the surviving crew has no illusions about additional exits in the months ahead. This hiring trend may have an even greater effect on Apple’s AI efforts.
Fortunately, Apple’s leadership understands both how vital success of its AIML team is and the blow these departures misguidedly strike. Competitors of all stripes are innovating quickly and growing their AI portfolios. To solidify its future market dominance, Apple needs to keep its current talent and bring in new specialists.