Bloomberg reports that Keyang, the core leader of Apple's artificial intelligence search department, is about to leave and join its major competitor Meta Platforms. Keyang's departure comes at a critical time as Apple intensifies its efforts to strengthen its AI product line and plans a major update for Siri.
Keyang previously led Apple's "Answers, Knowledge, and Information (AKI)" team. This team's main responsibility was to develop new features to make Siri more like ChatGPT, especially granting Siri the ability to access and utilize online content. The AKI team is seen as a key player in the major Siri update planned for March this year.
Keyang's departure is the latest example of talent loss in Apple's AI department recently. Previously, members of the "Apple Foundation Model" team, as well as former executives Robby Walker and Ruoming Pang, have also joined Meta. This series of high-level and core technical personnel switching jobs highlights the fierce competition for talent among tech giants in the AI field.
After Keyang's departure, the AKI team will report to Benoit Dupin, the deputy of Apple's AI chief John Giannandrea.
