Apple poaches Google AI staff, creates ‘secretive’ laboratory: Report

As an experienced technology analyst, I believe that Apple’s recent hiring spree and acquisitions of AI experts from Google, along with the establishment of a secretive laboratory in Zurich, are clear indicators of Apple’s renewed focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning. This comes at a time when Apple has been lagging behind its Big Tech competitors in terms of investments and advancements in AI technologies.


As a crypto investor, I’ve been closely monitoring the tech industry news, and I’m excited about Apple’s recent moves to strengthen its AI and machine learning capabilities. According to reports, they have been actively recruiting top talent from Google. This strategic hiring spree is a clear indication of their commitment to developing cutting-edge technology in-house.

As an analyst, I’ve come across some intriguing information from a Financial Times (FT) report published on April 30, 2021. According to this report, Apple has been actively recruiting a significant number of AI specialists from Google over the past year. To be more precise, around thirty-six individuals with expertise in Artificial Intelligence have joined Apple since 2018. This hiring trend suggests that Apple is making a strategic investment in strengthening its AI capabilities.

Apple not only aims to assemble elite AI teams but also recently purchased two AI start-ups based in Zurich, Switzerland. Consequently, they established a clandestine research facility in the region, referred to as “Vision Lab.”

According to the Financial Times, Apple’s Zurich team at FT’s lab has played a significant role in Apple’s exploration of advanced AI technologies comparable to those used in services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Surprisingly, locals have reported that the laboratory operates discreetly, with some being unaware of Apple’s presence in the region.

Apple has taken a more assertive stance recently in its pursuit of artificial intelligence technology. Previously, Apple had kept a low profile while tech giants like Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI actively poured resources into creating advanced large language models (LLMs) over the past year.

Apple’s stock shares have decreased since the beginning of the year. On the other hand, Microsoft and Google reported impressive revenue and profit growths for Q2, primarily attributed to their substantial investments and progressions in artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

On April 24, Apple introduced OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models) – a collection of compact language models available on the Hugging Face library. Designed specifically for text-based applications like composing emails.

Based on what experts in the industry are saying, Apple is expected to prioritize integrating generative AI into its mobile devices. This would enable AI chatbots and applications to operate using the device’s internal hardware instead of relying on remote data centers and cloud services for power.

In February 2024, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, announced that generative AI software capabilities would be introduced to iOS and other Apple platforms towards the end of the year.

As a crypto investor following tech news closely, I came across an intriguing report on April 27. It appears that Apple and OpenAI are deeply engaged in exploratory talks regarding the integration of advanced AI technologies onto iOS platforms. Additionally, there have been whispers of similar discussions taking place between OpenAI and Google.

While nothing has been set in stone, these developments point towards Apple’s pivot towards AI.

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2024-04-30 12:51