Apple Intelligence has been a fiasco for Apple thus far with the iPhone's AI capabilities falling well short of being as useful as the AI features on Pixel and Galaxy handsets. Apple announced today that its AI chief, John Giannandrea, who has had that position with Apple since 2018 when he started his career at Apple, is leaving the company. Giannandrea will be replaced by Amar Subramanya, an AI researcher whose LinkedIn profile indicates that he worked for Microsoft and Google’s DeepMind AI unit.
Subramanya spent 16 years at Google and was head of engineering for Google’s Gemini Assistant before leaving. Apple says he has a deep understanding of AI and Machine Learning (ML) research and how to integrate this research into real world products. Apple says that his knowledge will be important to Apple's current innovations and future AI features.
At Apple, Giannandrea reported directly to Tim Cook
As a senior vice president at Apple, Giannandrea reported directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook. He will continue to serve as an advisor until he leaves Apple this coming spring. Part of the reason why Apple has fallen behind its rivals in AI has to do with one of the key features of Apple Intelligence, the improved Siri assistant. While Siri now asks whether users want help from ChatGPT to answer certain queries, the assistant was supposed to do much more with the launch of Apple Intelligence.
Currently, Siri can use AI to help answer queries. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Siri is expected to get its long-awaited AI features in iOS 26.4
Siri's new AI-related capabilities have been pushed back to iOS 26.4. With that update, expected sometime this coming spring, Siri will be able to understand the context of what is on your screen. If there is a photo on your iPhone's display, you'll be able to say, "Send this to my brother," and Siri will do so. With access to your emails, messages, photos, and calendar, you can ask Siri for the name of the restaurant you made reservations at, the time and date it was made for, and who has been invited and receive the correct information
Is this good news for Apple?
Yes, considering the state of Apple Intelligence.
100%
No. John Giannandrea is familiar with Apple's AI plans.
0%
Ask me in five years.
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Siri also will be able to control apps and take complex multi-step actions. For example, you will be able to ask Siiri to take a photo you just edited and attach it to an email you just drafted. The new Siri will be powered by a large language model (LLM) with technology from Google's Gemini AI model.
Subramanya will become the Vice President of AI at Apple reporting to software chief Craig Federighi
For those interested in the new version of Siri that many iPhone users had hoped would arrive last year or this year at the latest, knowing that Apple's goal is to introduce it in iOS 26.4 means that you might want to join the iOS Beta program (tap on this link to subscribe) and install iOS 26.4 Beta when it's released so you can have a headstart on using the new Siri.
As for the newcomer, Subramanya will become the Vice President of AI at Apple. He will report to software chief Craig Federighi according to the company. Tim Cook has said that Federighi is already playing a large role in Apple's AI initiative. In a statement, Apple's CEO said, "In addition to growing his leadership team and AI responsibilities with Amar’s joining, Craig has been instrumental in driving our AI efforts, including overseeing our work to bring a more personalized Siri to users next year."
In saying goodbye to Giannandrea, Tm Cook said, "“We are thankful for the role John played in building and advancing our AI work, helping Apple continue to innovate and enrich the lives of our users. AI has long been central to Apple's strategy, and we are pleased to welcome Amar to Craig's leadership team and to bring his extraordinary AI expertise to Apple. In addition to growing his leadership team and AI responsibilities with Amar’s joining, Craig has been instrumental in driving our AI efforts, including overseeing our work to bring a more personalized Siri to users next year."
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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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