Apple continues to strengthen its AI teams, attracting talent from Google in a sustained effort to remain competitive in the AI market. Recently, the company established a secret lab in Zurich, becoming a hot spot for innovation in advanced technology. This laboratory, baptized by the interns “Vision Lab”it seems, gathers the cream of AI researchers.
Aggressive recruiting began with the arrival of John Giannandrea from Google in 2018, who was named Apple’s chief AI executive. Since then, more than 36 AI specialists have moved from Google to Apple, a clear sign that the tech giant aims to seriously expand its capabilities in the field. This strategy seems to be a long-term one, given that Apple not only attracts experts, but also invests in local start-ups such as FaceShift and Fashwellthus strengthening the research base in Zurich.
Even though most of Apple’s AI team operates out of California and Seattle, the Zurich expansion underscores strategic geographic diversification. The Zurich team’s work focuses on advanced AI models that integrate text and visual inputs, essential for new product development.
As Apple strengthens its AI teams and expands its operations in Europe, rumors about future products begin to circulate with increasing intensity. iOS 18 and iPhone 16 are expected to bring significant innovations in the integration of artificial intelligence. According to speculation, the new operating system and hardware could include advanced AI functionalitycapable of running chatbots and applications directly on the device, without depending on cloud services.
This direction would represent not only a technological leap, but also a major competitive advantage, placing Apple devices in a privileged position in the global technology market. In this context, developments in Zurich could play a crucial role in the next generation of Apple products, marking a new era in human interaction with smart devices.
