Apple names new AI chief as Siri delays prompt leadership change

Apple’s longtime AI chief John Giannandrea is stepping down as the company works to revive its stalled Siri upgrades. The announcement came Monday, marking a major shift in Apple’s AI strategy after the delayed rollout of a more advanced, personalized version of its voice assistant earlier this year. Giannandrea, who joined Apple in 2018 after leading AI and Search at Google, will stay on as an advisor before retiring in the spring of 2026.

Amar Subramanya, formerly a corporate vice president of AI at Microsoft , will take over as Apple’s vice president of AI. Subramanya previously spent 16 years at Google before joining Microsoft in July, where he focused on integrating cutting-edge AI research into real-world products. At Apple, he will guide the company’s AI model development, machine learning research, and AI safety efforts. Apple says his background in bringing research to market will play a key role in shaping future Apple Intelligence features.

Siri’s ongoing delays reportedly contributed to the leadership change. In March, Apple postponed the launch of a more personalized Siri , acknowledging that the technology needed more time. Bloomberg reported that CEO Tim Cook had grown doubtful of Giannandrea’s ability to move the AI team forward, prompting him to put Vision Pro leader Mike Rockwell in temporary charge. The company now expects to introduce the upgraded Siri next spring, with some new capabilities powered by a customized version of Google’s Gemini AI model.

Subramanya will report directly to Apple software chief Craig Federighi, who has been overseeing much of the company’s AI progress. Cook welcomed the new appointment, saying AI remains central to Apple’s strategy and praising Federighi’s role in guiding the company’s push toward a more capable Siri. Apple believes the leadership shift will help accelerate its AI ambitions as it works to bring more advanced intelligence features to users in the coming year.