As Apple's artificial language and machine learning initiatives continue to expand, its interest in attracting talent has grown -- a theme that's barely under the surface of the company's occasionally updated Machine Learning Research blog. Now Apple is openly seeking to recruit U.S. and European candidates with niche expertise for a yearlong AI/ML residency program, promising immersion and mentoring that will advance their careers. The goal is apparently to find people whose interests aren't necessarily AI/ML specific, then give them the knowledge and tools to apply machine learning and deep learning to their disciplines -- a process that will widen Apple's ability to solve users' problems in those disciplines. Apple says its ideal candidates would come from fields such as cognitive science, psychology, physics, robotics, public health, or computer graphics, but in any case should have programming proficiency and either a graduate degree or equivalent industry experience. Residencies are currently being offered in Cupertino, California; Seattle, Washington; Cambridge, U.K.; Zurich, and "various locations within Germany" for a summer 2021 start date, with assignment descriptions that vary between locations.

As global AI development and deployment continues, the demand for AI talents is growing faster than ever. A number of industry leaders and reputable institutions offer AI residency programs designed to help nurture promising AI talents. These present an excellent opportunity for young people interested in AI to gain valuable work experience and even make some pocket money. Synced has identified AI related 2020 residency programs that may be of interest to readers. Previously, tech leaders Uber and NVIDIA also offered year-long AI residency programs, but any programs for 2020 have yet to be announced.