Apple's artificial intelligence ambitions have been dealt a significant blow with the departure of Ruoming Pang, the leader of its foundation models team, to Meta. Pang played a crucial role in building Apple's own large language models, and his exit has sent shockwaves throughout the company's AI division.
The departure is a notable setback for Apple, which has been struggling to integrate AI into its products, particularly Siri. The virtual assistant has faced criticism for its limited capabilities, and Apple's efforts to enhance it have been hindered by internal conflicts and disagreements.
According to reports, Pang's team had proposed releasing some AI models as open source to demonstrate progress and encourage external collaboration. However, Apple executive Craig Federighi reportedly blocked the move due to concerns about exposing performance compromises.
Apple's AI rollout has been plagued by delays and criticism, with some comparing the company's situation to Nokia's downfall. In response, Apple is reportedly considering partnering with external companies like OpenAI or Anthropic to enhance Siri's capabilities. This potential shift towards external AI solutions marks a significant change for Apple, which has traditionally relied on in-house technology.
The departure of Pang and the challenges facing Apple's AI efforts raise questions about the company's ability to innovate and stay competitive in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.
