Apple Robotics AI Researcherโข Defects to meta Amidst Internal Morale Concerns
CUPERTINO,Calif. – A key Apple researcher specializing in โrobotics and โartificial intelligence โhas left โthe company toโข join Meta, markingโ the latest in a series โขof departures from Apple’s AI divisionโฃ following a lukewarm receptionโข to its recently unveiled “Apple Intelligence” features. Manni Zhang, who previously worked within Apple’s robotics research group, is now developing products โat Meta’s Robotics Studio, part of the Reality Labs division, according to people familiar with the matter.
the move comesโ asโ both Apple and Meta aggressively invest in robotics and โฃAI.Apple is reportedly planning a range of โคrobotic devices, includingโ a tabletop machine with a moving screen and a robotic arm for retail and manufacturing applications. Meta โis focused on humanoid robots, developing an operating system and hardware components to support them.
zhang’s former team at Apple resides within the company’s artificial intelligence and machine learning division, and operates separatelyโ from the robotics product development โฃassociation, which was integratedโค into Apple’s hardware engineering departmentโค earlier this year.
The departures from โคApple’sโ AI โฃteam are expected to continue,with multiple employees reportedly interviewing for positions at other โคcompanies.Sources attribute theโฃ declining moraleโฃ to the underwhelming response to Apple intelligence and the potential for the company to rely โmore on third-party AI models.
The โnews arrives as shares of Apple โคdipped slightly inโข trading today.
