John Giannandrea.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Pictures
Apple’s AI chief is stepping down, the corporate introduced Monday in probably the most seen shake up but to the iPhone maker’s synthetic intelligence group since launching its Apple Intelligence suite in 2024.
John Giannandrea, who held the place since becoming a member of the corporate in 2018, will probably be changed by Amar Subramanya, an AI researcher who most lately labored for Microsoft and was beforehand a part of Google’s DeepMind AI unit, based on his LinkedIn profile.
Giannandrea was a senior vice chairman and reported to Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner. He’ll proceed to function an advisor till retiring subsequent spring, Apple mentioned.
The change comes as consultants this yr have mentioned Apple has fallen behind its tech friends in synthetic intelligence, a tech discipline that has been reinvigorated since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022.
Apple Intelligence, which was meant to place Apple alongside AI leaders like OpenAI and Google, has not been well-reviewed by customers and critics. Earlier this yr, one in all its most crucial points, a considerably improved Siri assistant, was delayed till 2026, signaling growth challenges.
Subramanya will function Apple’s vice chairman of AI, and can report back to software program chief Craig Federighi, the corporate mentioned.
In an announcement, Cook dinner mentioned Federighi has already been enjoying a key function in Apple’s AI efforts.
“Along with rising his management crew and AI obligations with Amar’s becoming a member of, Craig has been instrumental in driving our AI efforts, together with overseeing our work to deliver a extra personalised Siri to customers subsequent yr,” Cook dinner mentioned in an announcement.
Subramanya will lead groups engaged on Apple’s basis fashions, analysis and AI security. Different groups beforehand underneath Giannandrea will transfer underneath COO Sabih Khan and providers chief Eddy Cue, Apple mentioned.
Though Apple shares are up 16% in 2025, they’ve lagged many different huge tech corporations as traders say the iPhone maker has fallen behind its friends which might be investing billions into AI chips and frontier AI fashions.
Apple mentioned in August that it was “considerably rising” the quantity it spends on AI, and Cook dinner has mentioned it is a “profound” expertise. Apple has struck a take care of chief OpenAI to combine ChatGPT into a few of its merchandise, like Siri.
However Apple is enjoying a special recreation than corporations like Microsoft, Google, and Meta. It is spending a lot much less on infrastructure for the expertise. Apple additionally prefers its AI to run on its gadgets, as a substitute of speaking again to extra highly effective computer systems within the cloud.
Apple this yr additionally noticed Jony Ive, its legendary {hardware} designer who helped late co-founder Steve Jobs invent the iPhone, promote his startup io for $6.4 billion to OpenAI, with the intention of serving to the AI lab launch its personal {hardware}.
Analysts say that Apple has constructed a loyalty moat amongst its clients for the reason that iPhone launched in 2007, however AI-driven {hardware} is on its method, with Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman final month saying that they’ve already accomplished their first prototypes and will reveal them in two years or much less.
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