Who is Amar Subramanya? The Samsung, Google, Microsoft veteran, now leading Apple’s AI reboot

Apple has changed its AI leadership at a critical moment, naming veteran researcher Amar Subramania as vice president of AI, replacing John Gianandrea, its longtime head of machine learning. The move comes as the company faces increasing criticism for lagging behind competitors such as Samsung, Microsoft and Google, all of whom have been quicker to push AI-driven upgrades across their products.

Apple said Subramanya will be responsible for Apple’s enterprise modeling and machine learning research, and will report directly to software chief Craig Federighi. His appointment represents a major shift in Apple’s artificial intelligence structure at a time when the company is under pressure to accelerate its efforts.

Subramanya joins from Microsoft, where he served as Corporate Vice President of Artificial Intelligence. Before that, he spent 16 years at Google, including leading engineering for Gemini Assistant. Apple confirmed that Giannandrea, who joined the company in 2018, will remain an advisor until his retirement in the spring of next year.

Why change?

Apple’s decision comes amid increasing scrutiny. Earlier this year, the company delayed major AI improvements to Siri until 2026. Reports indicated that CEO Tim Cook was starting to “lose confidence” in Giannandrea’s ability to push product development quickly enough.

Analysts say the shift in leadership highlights broader concerns about Apple’s pace. The resurgence of AI following the release of ChatGPT in 2022 has prompted competitors to move aggressively, while Apple Intelligence has struggled to generate strong public reception. Users and reviewers have given the system lukewarm feedback, and its standout feature, a vastly improved Siri, remains delayed.

Who is Amar Subramania?

Subramanya is an artificial intelligence researcher whose career spans Microsoft, Google and DeepMind, according to his LinkedIn profile. His specialties at Apple include foundational modeling, AI research, and AI safety. The responsibilities previously overseen by Giannandrea will now be reallocated under Chief Operating Officer Subih Khan and Chief Services Officer Eddie Cue.

In his restructuring statement, CEO Tim Cook said Federighi had already been “effective” in guiding Apple’s AI ambitions.

“In addition to growing his leadership team and AI responsibilities with Amar on board, Craig has been instrumental in leading our AI efforts, including overseeing our work to bring a more personalized Siri to users next year,” Cook said.

These changes come at a time when analysts say that Apple is going through one of the most pivotal stages of artificial intelligence, with growing expectations for stronger and more competitive artificial intelligence offerings across its devices.

(With inputs from Reuters)