Apple reportedly poaching AI engineers from Google and stashing them in Switzerland

There have long been strong rumors that Apple is working towards bringing some big new AI features to the iPhone and Mac via the iOS 18 and macOS 15 software updates, respectively. Now, a new report has detailed how the company has been going about setting itself up to make that happen.

According to a paywalled Financial Times report, picked up by MacRumors, Apple has shared dozens of AI engineers from Google and then set them up in a new lab in Zurich, Switzerland. The report claims that at least 36 engineers have made the switch from Google to Apple including John Giannandrea. He moved from Google to Apple in 2018 and was installed as its AI executive, while many others have followed suit since then.

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The report claims that those working in the lab have been looking into the technology that powers OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot and other similar offerings that use Large Language Models to perform tasks. Apple is expected to use these learnings as part of the iOS 18 rollout that will handle some AI-based tasks on-device, increasing performance and privacy.

Apple's iOS 18 software update is expected to offer new AI features that will be of use to people during their daily lives, reports have previously suggested. It's as-yet unclear what those features will actually be, but reports have hinted at Safari webpage summarization features as well as improvements to core apps including Notes, Mail, and others.

Despite hiring dozens of AI engineers for its Zurich lab, Apple is also reported to be in talks with both OpenAI and Google about potentially using their ChatGPT and Gemini chatbot technologies, respectively. It's thought that the initial AI capabilities of iOS 18 and macOS 15 will be based on Apple's own AI technology, but more advanced options from third parties could power features that will ship at a late date.

If Apple sticks to a pattern that we are all so familiar with it is likely to announce iOS 18 and macOS 15 alongside other new software updates for the iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro during the WWDC opening event on June 10. From there we can expect multiple beta releases over the coming months before the software is deemed fit for the public. Then, it'll most likely be made available to everyone who wants it towards the middle of September, around the same time that the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro devices will go on sale.