Apple has kept a low profile in the artificial smart weapon race. But now a major talented loss raises fresh questions about whether the iPhone manufacturer falls behind.
According to BloombergMeta hired Ruoming Pang, a high-level engineer who led the Apple models team. Pang, a former Google veteran and key architect behind the Big Language Models (LLMS) operating Apple Intelligence, will now join the elite AI unit of meta focused on building superintelligent systems.
Its exit is a major blow for Apple, especially at a time when the company tries to convince the public and developers that it is serious about generative AI. He commissioned the team of about 100 engineers building the fundamental technology behind Apple Intelligence, the set of AI functions recently announced at the company’s WWDC event.
On his Linkedin -pagePang described his role as leading the team, which develops the fundamental models that power Apple intelligence. Think of fundamental models like the basic engine for AI. These massive, complex models, also known as large language models (LLMs), are trained on extensive amounts of data and can be tailored to perform a wide range of tasks, from a summary of your emails to generic images. Pang’s team was responsible for every aspect of these models, from the training framework (Axlearn) and inferential optimization (making the AI work effectively on your device) to its multimodal capabilities (the ability to understand both text and images).
Just last month, Pang celebrated his team’s work in LinkedIn after the Apple Development Conference. “At WWDC we introduce a new generation of LLMs developed to improve the Apple Intelligence functions,” he wrote. “I am very excited about the progress we have made since last year and would like to take this opportunity to thank our teams and co -workers. It was a real privilege to work with you all!”
Pang joined Apple in 2021 after a 15 -year career at Google. His departure now raises serious questions about Apple’s ability to keep the highest talent while trying to play catching in the AI weapon race.
Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg and Meta not only participate in the talented war; They are its most aggressive fighters. In an incessant push to build what he calls artificial general intelligence (ACT), or “superintelligence” – AI systems that can reason and think at or above human levels – Zuckerberg personally judged best researchers of the entire industry. Meta reportedly offers multi -million dollar compensation packages to attract rivals talent, especially Openai.
This “Employment Spy” saw Meta assemble a dream team of AI pioneers, including former Github CEO Nat Friedman and Scale Ai CEO Alexandr Wang. By convincing Pang to leave Apple, Zuckerberg has shown that no company is safe from its talent.
The move comes in a vulnerable moment for Apple. The company faced an internal debate about whether to rely on its in -house models or strike deeper partnerships with third parties like Openai for future versions of Siri. This uncertainty is said to have influenced morality within the AI division, and Pang’s exit could trigger a wider exit of talent.
For Apple, losing the mind behind its core AI models is a critical review. For Meta, it is another high -profile victory in its bold, high stake to rule the following era of computing.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
