Apple (AAPL) has appointed Amar Subramanya as its new vice president of AI, replacing longtime executive John Giannandrea in a leadership transition that signals a shift in the company’s artificial-intelligence strategy.
The move was confirmed on Monday and places Subramanya at the helm of key divisions, including Apple’s foundation models and machine-learning research.
He will report directly to senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi.
Apple’s AI Efforts Have Lagged Behind Rivals
The leadership change comes at a time when Apple has been widely viewed as slower than competitors in integrating AI across its product line.
Rivals such as Samsung have already rolled out AI-enhanced device features, while other major tech companies continue to expand deeply into generative-AI services.
Apple has been working on upgrades to Siri and its core machine-learning systems, but several of those enhancements have experienced delays.
Earlier in the year, the company acknowledged that improvements to Siri would not arrive until 2026.
Subramanya Brings Deep Experience From Microsoft and Google
Subramanya joins Apple after serving as a corporate vice president of AI at Microsoft.
Before that, he spent 16 years at Google working across major projects, including serving as head of engineering for the Gemini assistant.
His background in large-scale AI deployment, foundational model design and consumer-facing machine-learning products positions him as one of the most experienced leaders Apple could bring in for this role.
Giannandrea to Advise Until Retirement
Outgoing AI chief John Giannandrea will remain at Apple in an advisory capacity through spring 2026.
He previously led Apple’s efforts to rebuild Siri and expand the company’s machine-learning infrastructure.
Reports in recent months have suggested that Apple CEO Tim Cook may have grown dissatisfied with the pace of progress inside Apple’s AI organization.
These reports pointed to internal disagreements about strategy and the direction of key projects.
Apple Seeks to Accelerate AI Development
With Subramanya now assuming leadership, Apple appears ready to push more aggressively toward AI integration across its ecosystem.
His appointment signals a desire to close the perceived gap between Apple and competitors as generative AI becomes central to consumer technology.
The company is expected to focus on foundational model improvements, high-performance on-device AI and new developer tools that support advanced machine-learning capabilities.
The broader industry will be watching closely as Apple attempts to reposition itself for the next wave of AI innovation.