Apple Loses AI Executive to Meta - Tech News
Apple AI Lead Ke Yang Departs for Meta
According to a recent report from Bloomberg, Ke Yang, a key executive at Apple responsible for spearheading the development of AI-powered web search capabilities, is transitioning to Meta.
Exodus from Apple's AI Division
Yang’s move signifies another departure from Apple’s artificial intelligence department. This series of exits potentially jeopardizes the company’s progress as it approaches a significant update to Siri, planned for release in March.
Earlier in the year, Ruoming Pang, who previously led Apple’s AI models team, also joined Meta. Approximately twelve individuals from Apple’s AIML (AI and machine learning) team have since left the company.
Notably, a number of these departing team members have chosen to continue their work at Meta’s newly established Superintelligence Labs.
Responsibilities and Future Implications
Just weeks prior to this announcement, Yang assumed leadership of the Answers, Knowledge, and Information (AKI) team. This team is focused on enhancing Siri’s capabilities by enabling it to access and utilize information from the internet.
The goal is to allow Apple to more effectively compete with other companies in the AI search arena, including OpenAI, Perplexity, and Google. The updated Siri is also expected to integrate with users’ personal data to facilitate more intricate operations.
Anticipation of Further Departures
Bloomberg’s sources indicate that remaining members of Apple’s AI team anticipate additional departures in the near future.
Requests for comment have been submitted to both Apple and Meta by TechCrunch.
- Key Personnel Change: Ke Yang moves from Apple to Meta.
- Impact on Siri: The departure could affect the planned Siri revamp.
- Broader Trend: Multiple AI team members are leaving Apple for Meta.
