Apple is looking forward to bringing new synthetic AI features to its iOS 18 by strengthening its AI team. To design new AI products, Apple is planning to use Zurich Vision Lab facilities in Switzerland, where the company has previously developed the Titan project for Apple Car. To enhance the team’s quality at Zurich Vision Lab, Apple has hired several AI employees from Google.
According to sources, Apple has recruited up to 36 AI experts from Google to work on various projects. The majority of the employees who left Google went on to work for Apple, as the company aims to hire the best talent in the industry. Apple has hired members for its general AI team at two locations in Zurich, one of which is so secretive that few people around were even aware of its existence.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, had suggested in February that Apple would be introducing synthetic AI features on its devices. The company has been investing a considerable amount of time and effort in the field of AI, but it has not yet shared any specific details about how AI is being used. Recently, Apple introduced OpenELM, an open-source language model that can effectively perform text-related tasks, such as writing emails. This AI model is available for developers to use.
Apple is expected to make all its AI announcements at the WWDC 2024 developers conference next June, which includes iOS 18, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, and VisionOS 2.