According to the Financial Times, Apple has assembled a team of Google artificial intelligence (AI) experts at its secret European research lab in Zurich. Reportedly, the institute, called “Vision Lab,” has a particular interest in text- and visual-based AI systems similar to the one behind OpenAI's popular chatbot ChatGPT, and will develop advanced AI models and products. seems to be focused on building.
The publication reveals that Apple has hired 36 experts from Google since 2018, following the appointment of former Google AI chief John Gianandrea as Apple's AI head. did. Additionally, the Zurich lab is home to prominent AI experts, including former Google employees like Bengio and Luomin Pan, the report added.
Apple's main AI development centers are in California and Seattle, but the Zurich lab reportedly represents an intensification of the company's AI efforts.
The company has also reportedly acquired AI startups FaceShift (virtual reality) and Fashwall (image recognition), and is likely interested in establishing a new research lab in Switzerland.
Despite other tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Samsung making significant advances in AI, Apple has been slow to enter the space. Carnegie Mellon University's Ruslan Salakhatdinov, who has ties to Apple through his startup Perpetual Machines, said Apple's delays can be attributed to its cautious approach to AI development. He noted that the company is reluctant to release an AI system without full control.
Apple's AI ambitions are expected to come to fruition with the upcoming iOS 18 update, which will bring generative AI capabilities to a variety of apps including Siri, Spotlight, Shortcuts, Apple Music, Messages, Health, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and more. . These capabilities can be enhanced by on-device large-scale language models (LLMs).
The exact details of Apple's Vision Lab in Zurich are still under wraps, but the company's top talent hires and acquisitions in the AI space signal a strong push into advanced AI technology. Apple's careful attention to AI development could pave the way for new innovations in the coming years.
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