Apple appoints new AI chief in race to catch up—details inside

In a major shakeup, Apple has replaced its AI chief, John Giannandrea, with Amar Subramanya, a well-known veteran in artificial intelligence from Google and Microsoft.

Giannandrea, who had been Apple’s AI chief since 2018, is stepping down. The company released a statement stating, “John Giannandrea is stepping down.”

However, he will continue to work with the company until next spring in an advisory role.

Amar Subramanya is well recognized in artificial intelligence, having most recently served as corporate vice president of AI at Microsoft.

Previously Subramanya had spent 16 years at Google, and the most recent task was to lead the engineering for the Gemini Assistant.

Apple has been facing criticism that it lags behind its competitors Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and others in developing AI-driven features for its devices, including for its popular iPhones.

According to experts, the move is seen as part of revamp efforts—indeed a long-awaited one.

Apple Intelligence, the company’s answer to the ChatGPT moment, has been stumbling since its October 2024 launch.

Earlier this year, Apple had also delayed the rollout of a more dynamic Siri digital assistant until next year.

As per the press release, Subramanya will lead in critical areas, including Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and AI safety and Evaluation.

Meanwhile, Apple's market competitors, like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, have been introducing ever-improved AI models and features in a cutthroat competition to become the torchbearers of 21st-century technology.