Apple, Inc.'s (AAPL) efforts to narrow the artificial intelligence (AI) gap with its mega-cap peers faced a further setback as another key AI executive has reportedly left the company.

Ke Yang, who was recently appointed as head of Apple's "Answers, Knowledge and Information (AKI) group, has quit and joined Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta Platforms, Inc. (META), Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Gurman first reported about the AKI unit in early August, adding that it would work on creating a new ChatGPT-like search experience. 

The report said Yang was appointed as head of the unit just weeks ago, reporting directly to SVP of AI and machine learning (ML) John Giannandrea. Robby Walker, who previously headed the AKI unit after its setup, quit, according to a separate Bloomberg report published in mid-August, although the executive's LinkedIn bio hasn't reflected the change.

What Retail Traders Feel About AAPL Stock

Apple stock is down marginally (-0.08%) so far this year amid worries concerning slow uptake of its flagship iPhone hardware product, stung by a lack of innovative value additions, and macro- and geopolitical challenges.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward Apple stock remained 'bearish' as of late Wednesday, and message volume on the stream dropped to 'extremely low' levels. Retail traders on the platform chatted about the company's new products unveiled on Wednesday, including the new MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro, powered by M5 chips. They also took note of the CEO Tim Cook's visit to Beijing and his commitment to increase investment in the country.

Why Yang's Rumored Departure Matters

The AKI team is key to Apple's long-delayed revamped personal assistant, which the company plans to launch in March. The upgraded Siri is widely believed to reinvigorate Apple's artificial intelligence thrust, especially as it lags behind mega-cap rivals such as Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet's Google, and Nvidia.  

The improved Siri will likely function like a ChatGPT-like large-language model, by extracting information from the web and corporate features, such as the ability to use personal data to handle more complex queries. 

Apple has seen a steady exit of top AI researchers who were working on the company's foundational models, beginning with Apple Foundation Models head Ruoming Pang. Most of these AI researchers have been tapped by Meta for its Superintelligence lab group that was set up this year to expedite the move toward artificial general intelligence (AGI).

What's Next With Apple's AI Initiatives?

According to Bloomberg, the AKI team will now be placed under Giannandrea's deputy Benoit Dupin, who is currently overseeing ML-related cloud infrastructure. Wedbush tech analyst Daniel Ives believes the AI monetization piece could add $75 to $100 per share to the Apple story over the coming few years. "We believe no 'AI premium' is factored into Apple's stock at current prices, which makes this a compelling large-cap tech name to own into year-end and 2026," he added.

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