Apple Shakes Up AI Leadership: Siri Development Gets New Chief Amid Generative AI Race
Staff Editor Apple Shakes Up AI Leadership Amid Siri Upgrade Delays
In a significant move, Apple is restructuring its artificial intelligence division, replacing John Giannandrea with Mike Rockwell as the head of AI and Siri development. This leadership change comes on the heels of a delay in rolling out generative AI features for Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant.
Rockwell, who previously led the development of Apple’s Vision Pro, will now take charge of the company’s AI initiatives. Simultaneously, Paule Meade is set to assume leadership of the Vision Pro Group, ensuring continuity in Apple’s augmented reality efforts.
The reshuffle appears to be prompted by CEO Tim Cook’s loss of confidence in Giannandrea’s leadership, particularly following the postponement of Siri’s generative AI upgrades. Apple recently announced that these enhancements would be delayed until “the coming year,” citing extended development time as the reason. The company made this delay public in a statement to the tech blog Daring Fireball.
Internal tensions within Apple’s AI team have also come to light. Bloomberg reported on a tense meeting where Apple senior director Robby Walker described the AI situation as “ugly.” This leadership change is seen as part of Apple’s strategy to address these internal challenges and accelerate its AI development efforts.
As the tech industry races to integrate advanced AI capabilities into consumer products, Apple’s move underscores the importance of staying competitive in this rapidly evolving field. The company’s ability to successfully implement these changes and deliver on its AI promises will be closely watched by industry observers and consumers alike.
