Apple has appointed veteran executive Kim Vorrath to lead enhancements in its artificial intelligence and Siri initiatives, marking a strategic shift in the company’s AI trajectory.
Vorrath, who previously served as vice president overseeing program management, has transitioned to the artificial intelligence and machine learning division. She will work closely with AI lead John Giannandrea, as confirmed by sources familiar with the change, who requested anonymity due to the lack of public announcement.
This strategic move is designed to reinforce a team striving to elevate Apple’s status in the AI sector, an area where the company has been perceived as lagging behind competitors such as OpenAI, Meta Platforms Inc., and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. Apple’s AI efforts have been hindered by a sluggish and uneven rollout of its Apple Intelligence platform.
The Siri digital assistant, which garnered attention upon its debut in 2011, has increasingly become a representation of Apple’s challenges in artificial intelligence. In contrast to emerging competitors like OpenAI, which have developed advanced chatbots, Samsung Electronics has been quicker to integrate AI features into its offerings. Additionally, Amazon.com Inc. is actively refining its Alexa platform to remain competitive in the evolving AI landscape.
With 36 years at Apple, Vorrath has gained recognition for her adept management of complex software projects, alongside implementing systems that address and rectify software issues. She joins her new role after contributing to the launch of Apple’s Vision Pro headset in the hardware engineering sector.
Apple declined to comment on the personnel change when reached for clarification.
Throughout her tenure, Vorrath has played a pivotal role in several key Apple projects. In the mid-2000s, she was entrusted with leading project management for the original iPhone software, preparing it for consumer release. Until 2019, she directed project management for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems, before taking charge of the Vision Pro software. Her role in overseeing project management for visionOS, the operating system for the headset, will now be assumed by Haley Allen.
Before her new assignment under Giannandrea, Vorrath spent time advising Kelsey Peterson, the previous head of program management. Peterson will now report to Vorrath, as will two other senior AI executives, Cindy Lin and Marc Schonbrun. Giannandrea communicated these changes in a memo to Apple staff.
The appointment underscores the increasing significance of AI within Apple, which appears to be taking precedence over the Vision Pro, launched in February 2024, according to an anonymous longtime Apple executive. Vorrath’s expertise in streamlining engineering teams and implementing effective workflows is expected to greatly benefit the AI division.
As AI gains prominence, there have been indications that Giannandrea requires additional support in managing the expanding group. Vorrath seems well-positioned to inject Apple’s product development ethos into the AI space.
This year, the focus for the artificial intelligence team will center on overhauling Siri’s foundational infrastructure and enhancing in-house AI models, as outlined in Giannandrea’s memo.
Apple introduced its Apple Intelligence platform in October, featuring initial capabilities such as basic text message and notification summarization. More sophisticated functions, including Genmoji—a tool for generating custom emojis via AI—have since been added.
The company has committed to revamping Siri as part of its AI initiative, although the new iteration is not yet ready. Anticipated to be part of iOS 18.4 in April, the upgraded digital assistant is designed to improve query responses by utilizing user data more effectively, alongside features that can recognize on-screen content and enhance device control through App Intents.
The current Siri version has faced criticism for its inability to comprehend requests and execute basic commands effectively. Even once the planned enhancements are released, they are not expected to match the capabilities offered by Samsung, which blends its technology with the Google Gemini platform.
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