Apple's AI chief is leaving the company in a major leadership change.
Amar Subramanya, with 16 years of experience at Google, will become Apple's vice president of AI.
Subramanya, formerly a Google engineering head for Gemini Assistant after 16 years with the company, has joined Apple. Apple noted his extensive background in AI and Machine Learning and his ability to apply that knowledge to products. Apple believes his expertise will be valuable to both current projects and future AI development.
Giannandrea, formerly a senior vice president reporting to CEO Tim Cook, will continue as an advisor until the spring. Apple's AI progress has been slowed partly due to issues with its enhanced Siri assistant, a key part of Apple Intelligence. While Siri now offers ChatGPT for some answers, its capabilities were intended to be more comprehensive at launch.
The new AI features for Siri are now expected in iOS 26.4, due out next spring. This update will enable Siri to understand on-screen context, such as allowing users to say "Send this to my brother" when viewing a photo. Access to emails, messages, photos, and calendars will allow Siri to provide information such as restaurant reservation details, including the time, date, and attendees.
Siri will also gain the ability to manage apps and perform complex tasks, like attaching an edited photo to a drafted email upon request. This upgraded Siri will utilize a large language model incorporating technology derived from Google's Gemini AI.
For those awaiting the updated Siri, its arrival in iOS 26.4 means users can join the iOS Beta program to test the new features early.
Subramanya will serve as Apple's Vice President of AI, reporting to software head Craig Federighi. Federighi is already playing a significant role in Apple's AI initiatives, according to Tim Cook. Cook stated that Federighi has been crucial in advancing their AI work, specifically in developing a more personalized Siri for users next year, in addition to expanding his leadership responsibilities with the arrival of Amar.
Cook thanked Giannandrea, saying, "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. 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. In addition to growing his leadership team and AI responsibilities with Amar’s joining, Craig has been instrumental in driving our AI efforts, including overseeing our work to bring a more personalized Siri to users next year."
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