Apple Inc. has recently experienced a significant exodus of artificial intelligence (AI) research talent, with at least four researchers and a top Siri executive departing for competitors like Meta Platforms Inc. and Google DeepMind. These departures underscore the ongoing turbulence within Apple's AI division, which has struggled to keep pace with industry peers in the competitive AI landscape. The decision to outsource some core AI technology to Alphabet Inc.'s Google has reportedly contributed to internal discontent among staff.

Among the latest to leave are Yinfei Yang, who has started a new company; Haoxuan You and Bailin Wang, both of whom have joined Meta, with You heading to its Superintelligence research arm and Wang focusing on Meta's recommendation systems. Zirui Wang has joined Google DeepMind, a company that is now actively assisting Apple in building the foundational AI models for upcoming features, including an upgraded Siri voice assistant slated for launch this year.

In a previously unreported development, Stuart Bowers, a senior executive on Siri's team and a former leader on Apple's self-driving car project, also departed for Google DeepMind, having worked to enhance Siri's responsiveness and understanding.

This talent drain has contributed to a slump in Apple's stock this year, despite the company reporting record sales, including over $85 billion in iPhone sales. The perceived lack of compelling AI breakthroughs and the continuous loss of top talent pose a significant challenge to the company's efforts to engineer a turnaround in its AI strategy. Apple, Google, and Meta spokespeople have declined to comment on these personnel changes.

The recent departures have primarily affected Apple's Foundation Models (AFM) team, which is responsible for developing the underlying technology for the Apple Intelligence platform. This group has faced mounting scrutiny following repeated delays for the new Siri and a subdued reception to Apple's existing AI features. The team previously lost its leader, Ruoming Pang, to Meta over the summer and is now led by AI researcher Zhifeng Chen.

Until late last year, the AFM team was overseen by former Google executive Daphne Luong, who has since been sidelined alongside former AI chief John Giannandrea and remains at Apple without operational responsibilities, reporting to Giannandrea. Chen and Apple's AI research and testing teams now report to Amar Subramanya, a former Google and Microsoft Corp. AI executive hired to oversee parts of the organization after a major AI reorganization last year, where CEO Tim Cook shifted responsibilities from Giannandrea to software head Craig Federighi.

Apple is currently developing two new versions of Siri: a near-term update leveraging personal data for queries, and a more ambitious overhaul later this year featuring a chatbot-style interface. Both versions will utilize a new architecture powered by models developed by Google's team. Apple has lost well over a dozen AI researchers in the past six months, with many exits linked to the outsourcing decision.