Meta reportedly recruits Apple’s head of AI models

Apple’s head of AI models, Ruoming Pang, is leaving the company to work at Meta, Bloomberg reported on Monday. This marks the latest high-ranking AI executive Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has scooped up to lead his new AI superintelligence unit.

Pang previously ran Apple’s in-house team that trained the AI foundation models that underpin Apple Intelligence and other on-device AI features, according to the report. Apple’s AI models haven’t exactly been a huge success — they’re far less capable than what OpenAI, Anthropic, and even Meta offer. Apple has reportedly even considered tapping third-party AI models to power its forthcoming AI-enabled Siri upgrade.

Sources told Bloomberg that Pang’s departure might be the first of many in Apple’s troubled AI unit.

Nevertheless, Pang could bring expertise in designing small, on-device AI models to Meta, joining an array of talent Zuckerberg has poached in recent months, including leaders from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Safe Superintelligence.