Apple has been aggressively expanding its team of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning experts, reportedly hiring "dozens" of specialists from Google in a hiring spree over the past year. The tech giant has attracted approximately 36 AI specialists from Google since 2018, according to a report from the Financial Times (FT) on April 30.

In addition to talent acquisition, Apple has acquired two AI start-ups in Zurich, Switzerland, leading to the establishment of a "secretive" laboratory known as "Vision Lab." Employees at this lab have been instrumental in Apple's research on high-level AI technologies that power services similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Despite its significant efforts, Apple has been relatively quiet in the AI space compared to its Big Tech competitors like Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI. However, the company recently released its Open-source Efficient Language Models (OpenELM), a series of four tiny language models on the Hugging Face library, indicating a shift in strategy.

Industry insiders suggest that Apple will focus on integrating generative AI into its mobile devices, allowing AI chatbots and apps to run via the iPhone's built-in hardware rather than relying on external data centers and cloud services. Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, confirmed that generative AI software features will come to iOS and other Apple platforms later in 2024.

Apple is reportedly in discussions with OpenAI and Google regarding the integration of generative AI technologies on iOS, indicating a strategic pivot towards AI. These developments underscore Apple's commitment to enhancing its AI capabilities and keeping pace with its competitors in the AI space.