Apple Inc. is reportedly disbanding its 121-member artificial intelligence (AI) team in San Diego, California. The employees have been given the option to relocate to Austin, Texas, or face termination by April 26. The AI team, known as Data Operations Annotations, is responsible for enhancing Siri’s performance by evaluating its understanding and handling of voice queries.
The decision to close the San Diego team was communicated by Christine DeFilippo, a top deputy to Apple’s AI chief, John Giannandrea. The affected team members, who were expecting a move to a new Apple campus in San Diego, are now expected to move to Texas instead. However, most of the employees have expressed their unwillingness to relocate to Austin.
This move by Apple comes at a crucial time for the company as they are set to launch their Vision Pro mixed-reality headset in the U.S. on February 2. Pre-orders for the headset will begin on January 19. The decision to relocate the AI team may be seen as a cost-saving measure or a strategic shift in the company’s AI operations.
It is worth noting that Apple has managed to avoid significant layoffs despite missing analyst expectations for several lines of business announced during its first-quarter earnings. In February, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that there are ways to reduce costs and that layoffs aren’t the only answer.
The relocation of the AI team could potentially be a part of Apple’s cost-saving efforts or a strategic decision to realign its AI operations. As the company continues to innovate and expand its product offerings, it will be interesting to see how this decision impacts its AI capabilities and future developments.
Disclaimer: This article was written by an AI-powered content generation system, Benzinga Neuro.
