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This week: 

• Whoa!  Apple just stole Google’s head of A.I. to make Siri smarter
• Apple plans to ditch Intel processors on the Mac 
• You won’t believe the massive cash being pay to silicon valley’s A.I. talent
• Future iPhones could boast curved displays and touch-free controls
• iOS 11.4 public beta arrives with AirPlay 2, but it won’t work with your HomePod
• And a Leander gives us the scoop on his new Tim Cook book!

  This episode supported by   Casper’s American-made mattresses have just the right amount of memory foam and latex, and people everywhere love them.  Learn why and get $50 towards any mattress at Casper.com/cultcast.   The air you were meant to breathe is finally here. For $75 off your first order, visit molekule.com and enter the code CULTCAST at checkout.    CultCloth will keep your iPhone X, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time use code CULTCAST at checkout to score a free CleanCloth with any order at CultCloth.co.   Thanks to Kevin McLeod for the music you hear on today’s episode.   On the show this week @erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace / @bst3r   CultCast live hangout on Friday the 13th at 12PM PST! http://live.thecultcast.com   Apple steals Google’s A.I. wiz to make Siri smarter https://www.cultofmac.com/539125/apple-steals-googles-john-giannandrea-ai-siri/

• John Giannandrea used to be in charge of Google’s search and artificial intelligence, but now he works for Apple.  He’s leading the drive to make the company’s Siri voice assistant smarter, a goal many would agree is overdue.
• NYT: Apple said on Tuesday that Mr. Giannandrea will run Apple’s “machine learning and A.I. strategy,” and become one of 16 executives who report directly to Apple’s chief executive, Timothy D. Cook.
• This is the most high-profile move yet in a ongoing drive to hire more talent for the Siri team.
• Mr. Giannandrea came to Google in 2010, where he helped make AI and machine learning part of all the company’s products, from search to Gmail. And now he’s doing that for Apple.
• Apple is also looking to hire  to hire 142 more people for Siri-related jobs, almost twice as many as this time last year.

  Tech Giants Are Paying Huge Salaries for Scarce A.I. Talent https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/22/technology/artificial-intelligence-experts-salaries.html

• Fun fact: Engineers with A.I. expertise are some of the most sought-after people in Silicon Valley, with salaries sometimes exceeding eight figures.
• Tech’s biggest companies are placing huge bets on artificial intelligence, banking on things ranging from face-scanning smartphones and conversational coffee-table gadgets to computerized health care and autonomous vehicles.
• Typical A.I. specialists, including both Ph.D.s fresh out of school and people with less education and just a few years of experience, can be paid fr