Apple to shut down 121-member AI team in San Diego
Apple is reportedly pulling the plug on its 121-member artificial intelligence (AI) team in San Diego, California, reported Bloomberg, citing insiders. The announcement to shut down the group was made by Christine DeFilippo, a top deputy of Apple AI chief John Giannandrea. All the concerned employees have already been informed of it. This team has an interesting history within Apple. It has been responsible for enhancing the digital assistant Siri's performance by analyzing user queries and assessing its accuracy.
Affected employees can merge with Texas team
The affected San Diego team, part of Data Operations Annotations (DOA), has been instructed to relocate to Austin and merge with the Texas-based team. A spokesperson confirmed the move, adding Apple is bringing all DOA teams in the United States to Austin. They said everyone in San Diego's team will have the opportunity to continue their role in Austin. Apple has given employees until February end to decide whether they will move. Otherwise, they will be terminated on April 26.
Why many workers are unwilling to relocate
Apple's move came as a surprise to the San Diego employees. The company recently informed the staff that they would be transferred to a new Apple campus in the same city by January end. They were even provided packing boxes earlier this month to prepare for relocation within San Diego. But, contrary to expectations, the new destination is now Austin, Texas. According to insiders familiar with the situation, the majority of affected workers have expressed reluctance to move to Austin.
San Diego team specializes in Siri's usage in various languages
The San Diego employees specialize in Siri's usage in languages such as Hebrew, English, Portuguese, Arabic, French, and multiple dialects of Spanish. Apple has also informed employees that they can apply for other positions within the company, but some believe they might not qualify for many roles due to their non-engineering backgrounds. The company has largely steered clear of layoffs since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, its latest move could result in several dozens losing their jobs.
What about relocation stipend and compensation?
Apple is offering a $7,000 relocation stipend for employees who choose to move to Austin by June end. Those who decide to leave the company will receive four weeks of severance pay plus an additional week for every year they have worked, apart from six months of health insurance coverage.
Some employees already contributing to Apple's LLM initiatives
A few employees within the San Diego group have started supporting Apple in transitioning toward AI products centered on large language models (LLMs). These people are currently evaluating potential queries for Siri and selecting answers from a limited set of responses, with the added task of justifying their decisions. Notably, Apple intends to unveil its plans for LLMs in June.
