As Apple slows the pace of adopting artificial intelligence (AI), key AI talent is leaving the company one after another. Bloomberg News reported on the 13th (local time), citing sources, that Robbie Walker, one of Apple's most senior AI executives, is expected to leave the company next month.
Walker was a key executive who oversaw Apple's voice assistant "Siri," and he stepped down from the Siri role earlier this year as the upgrade to add AI features to Siri was delayed. Since then, he has served as a top executive participating in the development of a new AI-based web search system to compete with Perplexity and ChatGPT. The system is reportedly set to be unveiled next year. Walker is currently a senior director on Apple's "Answers, Information and Knowledge" team.
Bloomberg said that Walker's duties and team have been significantly reduced in recent months, but that he still exerts some influence on Apple's AI strategy. At an internal meeting in March, he vented frustration at criticism over the Siri upgrade delays, saying, "We swam hundreds of miles and set a Guinness record, but we're being blamed for not reaching our destination of Hawaii."
Walker's departure comes amid continued talent outflow from Apple's AI organization. Recently, Luo Ming Pang, who led Apple's AI model team, moved to Meta, and a number of engineers and researchers left the company with him. Last month, Frank, who oversaw Apple's search service, also moved to Meta.
There are concerns that the outflow of talent in the AI sector could lead to setbacks in Apple's strategy. While rivals Google, OpenAI, and Meta are aggressively pursuing research and development in AI, Apple is seen as slower to adopt the technology. Some also say the continued departure of key personnel could weaken Apple's AI competitiveness.