Apple Robotics AI Researcher Defects to meta Amidst Internal Morale Concerns
CUPERTINO,Calif. – A key Apple researcher specializing in robotics and artificial intelligence has left the company to join Meta, marking the latest in a series of departures from Apple’s AI division following a lukewarm reception to its recently unveiled “Apple Intelligence” features. Manni Zhang, who previously worked within Apple’s robotics research group, is now developing products at Meta’s Robotics Studio, part of the Reality Labs division, according to people familiar with the matter.
the move comes as both Apple and Meta aggressively invest in robotics and AI.Apple is reportedly planning a range of robotic devices, including a tabletop machine with a moving screen and a robotic arm for retail and manufacturing applications. Meta is 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 separately from the robotics product development association, which was integrated into Apple’s hardware engineering department earlier this year.
The departures from Apple’s AI team are expected to continue,with multiple employees reportedly interviewing for positions at other companies.Sources attribute the declining morale to the underwhelming response to Apple intelligence and the potential for the company to rely more on third-party AI models.
The news arrives as shares of Apple dipped slightly in trading today.