Apple Sets Up Secret Lab and Hires Google Employees for New AI Team

Apple has taken dozens of AI experts from Google and set up a secret lab in Zurich, Europe, to build a team to compete with other tech companies in making new AI models and products.

A study of hundreds of LinkedIn profiles, public job postings, and research papers shows that the $2.7tn company has been hiring like crazy over the past few years to grow its AI and machine learning teams around the world.

Since it hired John Giannandrea as its top AI executive in 2018, the iPhone maker has specifically gone after workers from Google, hiring at least 36 Google employees since then.

Most of Apple’s AI team works from offices in California and Seattle, but the tech company has also opened a big new office in Zurich.

Prof. Luc Van Gool from the Swiss university ETH Zurich said that Apple built its “Vision Lab” in the city after buying two local AI start-ups: FaceShift, a virtual reality company, and Fashwell, an image recognition company.