Apple is undertaking a significant restructuring of its artificial intelligence division, a strategic move to accelerate the development of its proprietary technologies and reinforce its commitment to user privacy. The most notable change is the leadership transition, with the retirement of John Giannandrea, who had led the area since 2018, and the rise of Amar Subramanya as the new vice president of AI, who will report directly to Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering.
This internal reorganization aims to centralize efforts to advance Apple Intelligence, the company’s suite of AI resources. Equipes who previously worked in adjacent areas, such as robotics and the virtual assistant Siri, have been relocated to other divisions, allowing the core AI group to devote full attention to the development of so-called Apple Foundation Models, the language models that serve as the basis for the new functionalities.
The decision reflects a continued commitment to processing data directly on devices, an approach that differentiates Apple from its competitors by minimizing the need to send personal information to the cloud. The new organizational structure was designed to optimize workflow and ensure that the company meets its ambitious launch schedule, which promises to revolutionize user interaction with its products.
Giannandrea, a respected figure in the sector and with experience at Google, will not leave the company immediately. Ele will serve as a consultant during the transition period, ensuring a smooth handover and continuity of strategic vision until his full retirement, scheduled for spring 2026. Sua departure marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter focused on integration and efficiency.
New leadership to accelerate innovation
The appointment of Amar Subramanya to lead the AI division is a clear indication of the direction Apple intends to take. With extensive experience acquired at technology giants such as Google and Microsoft, Subramanya brings a vision aligned with the company’s philosophy of prioritizing local processing (on-device). Sua management will be focused on developing AI models that are not only powerful but also extremely efficient to run on Apple’s custom hardware, such as the A and M series chips.
Reported to Craig Federighi, the integration of the AI team into the larger software engineering structure signals that artificial intelligence is no longer an isolated project, but rather a central and intrinsic component of all of the company’s operating systems. Essa synergy is key to creating cohesive, deeply integrated user experiences from iPhone to Vision Pro. Subramanya’s responsibilities will range from fundamental research in machine learning to evaluating the safety and ethics of new models, ensuring that innovation goes hand in hand with responsibility.
Focus on Apple Foundation Models
The heart of Apple’s new AI strategy lies in Apple Foundation Models, a family of in-house developed language models. The responsible team, led by Zhifeng Chen, is made up of cutting-edge researchers and engineers, many of whom also came from other large technology companies. The group’s mission is to create models that are compact and optimized for the Apple hardware, without sacrificing the ability to perform complex tasks.
These templates are designed to operate primarily on the user’s device, as on-device templates with around 3 billion parameters that perform tasks such as smart summaries, text suggestions, and organizing notifications quickly and privately. Para activities that require greater computing power, Apple developed Private Cloud Compute, a private cloud solution that processes data securely and ephemerally, ensuring that the company never has access to user information.
The company has also maintained a constant pace of publishing scientific research, sharing technical advances with the academic community. Essa’s more open yet selective stance helps attract talent and position Apple as an innovative force in the field of AI, remaining competitive in global technological advancement and driving personalized content generation capabilities directly on devices.
Privacy as a fundamental strategic pillar
As the technology industry rapidly moves toward AI models increasingly reliant on massive data centers, Apple reinforces its long-standing position by placing user privacy at the center of its strategy. The on-device processing approach is not just a technical choice, but a philosophical decision that resonates with the brand. By keeping personal data on the iPhone, iPad or Mac, the company avoids the risks inherent in transferring and storing sensitive information on external servers. Essa architecture protects users from data breaches and ensures that their information is not used to train AI models indiscriminately. Combining local models with Private Cloud Compute offers a sophisticated balance between performance and security, allowing Apple to perform complex tasks without compromising its fundamental principles. Essa differentiation is one of Apple Intelligence’s main selling points, attracting consumers who value confidentiality and control over their digital lives in an increasingly connected world.
The evolution of Siri and future plans
One of the main beneficiaries of this restructuring will be Siri. Apple’s virtual assistant is slated for a major relaunch in 2026, powered by large language models (LLMs) that will make it significantly more intelligent, conversational, and useful. The new Siri will be able to understand the context much more deeply, allowing for more natural and fluid interactions.
The ability to manage complex tasks through application “intents” is one of the most exciting promises. Isso means that users will be able to give more elaborate commands, such as “send Maria the photos we took at the beach last week and tell her I miss you”, and Siri will be able to identify the correct photos, open the messaging application and compose the text, just waiting for the user’s confirmation.
This evolution will transform Siri from a reactive assistant to a proactive partner, capable of anticipating needs and executing actions across multiple applications in an integrated manner. Apple also plans to complement its own systems with the integration of third-party models, such as those from Google or OpenAI, for specific scenarios, offering flexibility without giving up its controlled ecosystem.
The objective is clear: to make interaction with technology more human and intuitive, consolidating the role of Apple devices as centers of the user’s digital life. The continued emphasis on energy efficiency ensures that these new features do not compromise battery life, a crucial factor in the mobile experience.
Distribution of responsibilities in the organization
The reorganization goes beyond the AI team. Para ensured that the focus remained on foundational models, other related areas were strategically redistributed among experienced executives. The hardware infrastructure for AI, for example, was overseen by Sabih Khan, head of operations, aligning software development with hardware capabilities. Da Similarly, search and knowledge capabilities, which power many intelligent features, have been integrated into the services division led by Eddy Cue. Essa distribution of responsibilities ensures that each aspect of the AI value chain is managed by experts in their respective areas, promoting more agile and efficient execution across the company.
Commitment to the developer ecosystem
Apple understands that the success of its platform depends not only on its own applications, but also on the vibrant ecosystem of third-party developers. Therefore, the company introduced a new framework that allows developers to access Apple Foundation Models in a secure and controlled way. Isso will open the doors to a new generation of applications with integrated intelligent features, capable of working offline and with the same level of privacy as Apple’s native services. By empowering its developer community with these powerful tools, the company ensures that AI innovation spreads across App Store, enriching the user experience and further strengthening loyalty to the platform. The resilience of Apple’s strategy, supported by a robust team and clear plans, points to significant advances in the near future.