Apple has announced the departure of its AI chief, John Giannandrea, following challenges with Siri, the company’s AI-powered voice assistant. Giannandrea’s exit comes after delays in Siri’s development earlier this year, prompting a leadership change.
Amar Subramanya, a former Google executive who recently served at Microsoft’s AI division, will take over as Apple’s vice president of AI. Subramanya’s role will involve overseeing the enhancement of Apple’s AI models, machine learning research, and AI safety and evaluation.
Giannandrea, known for his work at Google before joining Apple in 2018 to improve Siri’s capabilities, faced scrutiny over the delayed Siri improvements. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, reportedly reassigned responsibilities within the AI team due to concerns over the progress under Giannandrea’s leadership.
Subramanya’s expertise in integrating AI research into consumer products aligns with Apple’s future innovation plans. He will report to Apple’s software SVP Craig Federighi, focusing on advancing Siri’s functionalities. Apple aims to unveil an upgraded Siri next spring, with speculations that Google’s Gemini AI model will power new features.
Source: The Verge