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Although Apple has continued to avoid naming a dedicated AI app or AI chatbot as its app of the year, AI was showcased among this year's winners.
John Giannandrea, Apple's AI chief, is leaving the company. Amar Subramanya is joining as vice president of AI.
In a departure that took almost as long as Siri needs to find some obscure music requests, Apple has announced a new vice president of AI: Amar Subramanya, who will replace former AI chief John Giannandrea.
Apple named the 17 winners of its 2025 App Store Awards on Thursday, and AI made its presence felt. App of the Year Tiimo, created for folks with ADHD, is an AI visual planner; iPad App of the Year Detail uses AI to simplify video editing; and Mac App of the Year Essayist employs AI to ease "the time-consuming work of formatting academic papers."
The unexpected change comes as the world's second-largest public company struggles to compete in the AI revolution.
The leadership change signals a shift to come. Apple is expected to finalize a new partnership with Google, using the search giant's Gemini AI model to power an overhauled Siri assistant. Apple, it appears, is already picking from the winners, content to be in the customer's seat rather than a provider's.
Apple’s artificial intelligence chief John Giannandrea is stepping down from his role as part of a major shakeup of the troubled division, the company announced late Monday.
While John Giannandrea reported to CEO Tim Cook, his successor, Amar Subramanya, will report to the senior vice president of software development.
CUPERTINO, CA – Apple has hired veteran artificial intelligence researcher Amar Subramanya as its new vice president of AI, a key appointment that signals how aggressively the company is now moving to strengthen its AI leadership.
John Giannandrea will be succeeded by Amar Subramanya, a former Google executive who worked on that company’s Gemini app before joining Microsoft for six months.
Apple's John Giannandrea is departing after joining the company in 2018. Siri improvements and AI features may not come until next year.