Dec. 1 (UPI) — Apple’s artificial intelligence chief is stepping down, the company announced Monday in an AI leadership shakeup over Siri delays, as the iPhone maker vowed to “strengthen its commitment to shaping the future of AI for users everywhere.”
John Giannandrea, who has served as Apple’s senior vice president for Machine Learning and AI Strategy since 2018, will serve as an adviser to the company before retiring next spring.
“We are thankful for the role John played in building and advancing our AI work, helping Apple continue to innovate and enrich the lives of our users,” Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive officer, said Monday in a statement.
Cook also announced “renowned AI researcher” Amar Subramanya has joined Apple as vice president of AI and will report to Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering.
“AI has long been central to Apple’s strategy, and we are pleased to welcome Amar to Craig’s leadership team and to bring his extraordinary AI expertise to Apple,” Cook added. “Craig has been instrumental in driving our AI efforts, including overseeing our work to bring a more personalized Siri to users next year.”
Subramanya is a former vice president at Microsoft, and spent 16 years at Google, where he worked for Google’s DeepMind AI unit.
Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, Apple Intelligence has received critical reviews from tech experts, accusing the iPhone maker of falling behind its AI peers.
Last year, Apple introduced a smarter, “Apple Intelligence” version of Siri. This year, the company announced the updated Siri would be delayed until spring 2026. Many on Apple’s AI team left after failing to deliver on key features, including improved app integration and personal context.
In Monday’s letter, Apple promised its new AI team is “poised to accelerate its work in delivering intelligent, trusted and profoundly personal experiences.”