Consumer electronics giant Apple (AAPL) has tapped a former executive at Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet’s (GOOGL) DeepMind laboratory to lead its artificial intelligence (A.I.) unit.
Apple’s current A.I. chief is stepping down. John Giannandrea, who held the position since 2018, will be replaced by Amar Subramanya, a prominent A.I. researcher.
The change in leadership comes as critics say Apple has fallen behind in the global A.I. race. Many analysts are calling on Apple to add more A.I. features to its iPhone and other devices.
Apple Intelligence, which was intended to put Apple on the A.I. map, has fallen flat with users and analysts. A revamped Siri digital assistant with A.I. capabilities has been delayed until 2026.
Subramanya joins Apple with expectations that he take Apple’s A.I. products a meaningful step forward. He previously worked in Alphabet’s leading DeepMind A.I. laboratory.
Starting in early 2026, Subramanya will lead teams working on Apple’s foundation models, research and A.I. safety.
Apple said this past summer that it plans to significantly increase the amount of money it spends on A.I.
The technology giant recently struck a deal with privately held OpenAI to integrate some ChatGPT functions into products like Siri.
Still, Apple is spending much less on A.I. infrastructure than competitors such as Microsoft and Alphabet as Apple remains focused on consumer electronic devices and not data centres.
AAPL stock is up 16% this year and trading at $283.10 U.S. per share.
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