Apple hires leading AI researcher from Carnegie Mellon University
Russ Salakhutdinov, a leading artificial intelligence researcher at Carnegie Mellon and deep learning specialist, has joined Apple, according to Apple Insider. The website speculates that he has been hired to improve Siri and make the voice-controlled personal assistant a leader in the field. Apple has dramatically accelerated its machine learning efforts recently, including building a specific R&D facility in Japan.

Apple hired Russ Salakhutdinov, a well-known AI researcher of Carnegie Mellon University, to direct some of the company's own efforts in the artificial intelligence field.

AI Researcher Joins Apple

According to Apple Insider, on Monday, Oct. 17, Salakhutdinov announced his new job via Twitter, sharing simultaneously a link to an Apple job listing for machine learning research scientists. Salakhutdinov will not leave his researcher position at Carnegie Mellon and his role at Apple will just come in addition to this work. According to Bloomberg, Salakhutdinov worked previously at the University of Toronto and MIT.

Some of the past research performed by the AI researcher was funded by the top companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Samsung. He can be essential for Apple's voice and image recognition projects. In the past few years, Apple has dramatically accelerated its machine learning efforts, buying companies in the sector like Perception and Turi and establishing its own special machine learning division. A new Apple R&D facility created in Japan will work on machine learning AI applications.

Improving Siri

CEO Tim Cook has previously suggested that most of the Apple products will eventually implement AI applications. In this ambition approach, Salakhutdinov might be particularly useful for the company. He might work on improving Siri in order to become as smart as a rival virtual assistant from companies like Google.

According to Fortune, among Salakhutdinov's areas of artificial intelligence research is the field of deep learning. The use of graphics processing units (GPUs) and specialized computer chips to process the information and the rise of cloud computing allows companies to store more easily vast amounts of data led to big breakthroughs in the emerging AI field of deep learning.

The implementing of software systems called neural networks makes it possible to use vast quantities of data to find patterns within. The new technology can help design better digital assistants. Apple's Siri-powered by artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms will become capable of better understanding people's voices in order to act on their requests and answer questions.