Machine Learning Engineer, Creative Intelligence Systems

Apple Inc.; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Apple Inc. in Cupertino is seeking a junior machine learning engineer to join Creative Intelligence Systems, the team behind Cinematic mode, Background Replacement, Portrait and Studio Light video effects, and other vision features used on iPhone.

You will work on on-device ML, 3D scene tasks, and image/video editing, collaborating with camera systems, ML and graphics experts to ship user-facing features.

Qualifications

• BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• Strong Python programming skills with working knowledge of C or C++.
• Hands-on experience with modern deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX.
• Solid foundation in machine learning, computer vision, 3D graphics, or related domains.
• Demonstrated interest in keeping up with state-of-the-art research.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Track state-of-the-art CV, graphics, and ML research and turn findings into project plans.
• Prototype end-to-end capture/edit experiences on iOS/macOS.
• Train, fine-tune, and evaluate ML models for image, video, and 3D tasks.
• Turn research prototypes into robust product features under tight cycles.
• Partner with internal teams to integrate new capabilities into products.
• Optimize workloads across CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine to meet budgets.
• Share progress and results with the team through demos.

Skills

Python

C/C++

PyTorch

Computer Vision

3D Graphics

Interpersonal skills

Education

BS in Computer Science / Electrical Engineering or related

MS in Computer Science / ML / CG (preferred)

Tools

ARKit

Metal

CUDA

Swift

Objective-C

Job description

Summary

“Apple is where individual imaginations gather together, committing to the values that lead to great work. Every new product we build, service we create, or Apple Store experience we deliver is the result of us making each other’s ideas stronger. That happens because every one of us shares a belief that we can make something wonderful and share it with the world, changing lives for the better. It’s the diversity of our people and their thinking that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do. When we bring everybody in, we can do the best work of our lives. Here, you’ll do more than join something — you’ll add something."We are looking for a junior machine learning engineer to join Creative Intelligence Systems, the team behind iPhone’s Cinematic mode, Background Replacement, Portrait and Studio Light video effects, along with many other computational photography and video features used on hundreds of millions of Apple devices. You will help transform how people connect with their loved ones on FaceTime, prototype new Camera capture experiences, and invent new ways to edit photos and videos. Our team is made up of seasoned camera systems, rendering, machine learning, and computer vision engineers. We do it all: we research, we prototype, we integrate, we ship. Our work is often featured in Apple keynotes and at WWDC.

Description

In this role, you will push the boundaries of what’s possible on device under tight compute and memory constraints. You will tackle problems such as 3D scene reconstruction and novel view synthesis, generative image and video editing, camera pose estimation, person segmentation, monocular depth estimation, shallow depth of field rendering, and subject tracking.The ideal candidate is focused on product and experience, takes ownership of ambiguous problems, and has a strong foundation in machine learning and graphics. You survey the state of the art before committing to a direction, build working prototypes quickly, and reach out to partner teams to close technical gaps.

Key Responsibilities

• Track state-of-the-art computer vision, graphics, and machine learning research, both published and internal, and turn findings into concrete project plans.
• Prototype new communication, capture, and editing experiences end to end on iOS and macOS.
• Train, fine-tune, and evaluate machine learning models for image, video, and 3D tasks.
• Turn research prototypes into polished, robust, power-efficient product features within tight production cycles.
• Partner with internal teams to discover new capabilities and integrate them into our systems and products.
• Optimize workloads across CPU, GPU, Apple Neural Engine, and Private Cloud Compute to meet strict thermal, latency, and memory budgets.
• Share progress, trade-offs, and results with the team and leadership through regular demos and presentations.

Minimum Qualifications

• BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• Strong programming skills in Python, with working knowledge of C or C++.
• Hands‑on experience with modern deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX.
• Solid foundation in machine learning, computer vision, 3D graphics, or related domains.
• Demonstrated interest in keeping up with state-of-the-art research.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• MS in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computer Graphics, or related field.
• Experience with 3D reconstruction, neural rendering such as Gaussian splatting, or generative models for inpainting and outpainting.
• Experience with camera pose estimation, SLAM, or AR frameworks such as ARKit.
• Exposure to GPU programming with Metal, CUDA, or similar.
• Experience with Swift or Objective-C on Apple platforms.
• Fluency with AI‑assisted and agentic coding tools.
• Track record of successful industry internships.