Apple Names Amar Subramanya as New AI Chief Amid Reshuffle

Apple has initiated a major reshuffle within its artificial intelligence leadership, appointing Amar Subramanya as the new head of its AI division. Subramanya will succeed John Giannandrea, who has overseen Apple’s AI strategy since 2018 and will transition into an advisory position until spring next year as part of a phased leadership shift.

Key Highlights

• Apple appoints Amar Subramanya as AI chief, restructuring teams to strengthen foundational model development efforts.
• Leadership changes come as Apple faces growing pressure from rivals and delays key Siri enhancements.

Subramanya, who brings experience from DeepMind and Microsoft, will now oversee AI research, foundational model development, and AI safety initiatives. Teams working on these core areas will directly report to him, marking a significant restructuring of Apple’s internal AI framework. In contrast, several previously central AI-related engineering groups will now fall under the supervision of Apple COO Sabih Khan and Services chief Eddy Cue, signalling a broader reorganisation aimed at integrating AI across more product lines.

This leadership transition comes at a crucial moment for Apple, as competition in the AI space intensifies. Tech rivals like Google, Microsoft, and Meta have accelerated investments in large-scale AI infrastructure, model training, and cloud-based intelligence. Apple, however, has continued to prioritise on-device AI through its Apple Intelligence initiative — a strategy it claims prioritises privacy and personalisation. Yet, this approach has drawn criticism for being slower and more limited compared with cloud-driven AI ecosystems.

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Apple’s flagship AI feature upgrade for Siri — initially expected to anchor its AI push — has now been pushed back to 2026. Despite its stock rising around 16 percent this year, analysts suggest Apple’s AI roadmap has lagged behind industry expectations.

The appointment of Subramanya signals Apple’s attempt to regain momentum and reposition itself in an increasingly competitive AI landscape.