Apple's AI chief resigns amid Siri's delayed launch
What's the story
John Giannandrea, Apple's head of artificial intelligence (AI), is stepping down from his position. He will serve as an advisor to the company before retiring early next year. The move comes as the tech giant struggles to get its AI-powered voice assistant, Siri, back on track after a delayed launch earlier this year. Amar Subramanya will now take over as Apple's vice president of AI. He previously spent 16 years at Google and was also Microsoft's corporate VP of AI.
Transition details
Giannandrea joined Apple in 2018
At Apple, Subramanya will lead the development of the company's AI models, machine learning research, and AI safety. Giannandrea, who joined Apple in 2018 from Google where he was head of AI and Search. His departure comes after Apple pushed back the release of a more personalized Siri in March this year, admitting that "it's taking longer than we thought."
Strategic shift
Apple's AI strategy and future plans
Apple has said that Subramanya's experience in integrating AI research into products will be key for its ongoing innovation and future Apple Intelligence features. As part of this transition, he will report to Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP of software. The company is expected to launch an upgraded version of Siri next spring, possibly using a custom version of Google's Gemini AI model to power some new features.