Apple reshapes AI leadership with Vision Pro chief now taking charge of Siri

Apple is making a major leadership change in its artificial intelligence division according to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, by shifting oversight of Siri to a new executive as it seeks to regain momentum in the AI race. The move comes at a time when Apple has faced mounting criticism for delays in its AI-driven Siri enhancements, which were first teased at WWDC but have yet to materialize.

According to reports, Mike Rockwell, the longtime leader of Apple’s Vision Pro project, will now take charge of Siri’s development. This transition marks a significant shift within the company’s hierarchy, as John Giannandrea, Apple’s current AI chief, steps away from day-to-day Siri responsibilities. While Giannandrea will remain with Apple to oversee broader artificial intelligence research, sources indicate that CEO Tim Cook has grown frustrated with the slow pace of Siri’s evolution and has pushed for a new direction.

Rockwell, who has spent years developing Apple’s spatial computing efforts, now faces the challenge of overhauling Siri—a voice assistant that has increasingly struggled to compete with AI models from OpenAI and Google. Despite Apple’s public commitment to AI, Siri’s performance has remained a frequent point of contention among users, with complaints about its limited contextual understanding and outdated responses.

As Rockwell steps into this new role, his previous position leading Vision Pro development will be filled by Paul Meade, a key hardware engineer on the project. While Vision Pro has been praised for its technological advancements, its commercial success remains uncertain, making Rockwell’s transition to AI an interesting strategic shift for Apple.

The company’s AI strategy has faced setbacks beyond Siri. Apple's cautious approach to generative AI has left it trailing behind competitors who have rapidly deployed AI-powered chatbots and content-generation tools. While Apple Intelligence, its broader AI initiative, is expected to roll out later this year, the delayed launch of personalized Siri features has frustrated both developers and users eager for a more advanced voice assistant experience.

Internally, Apple’s restructuring signals an urgent effort to reposition itself in the AI space before its rivals gain an insurmountable lead. With Rockwell now tasked with leading Siri’s transformation, the company is betting that his expertise in cutting-edge hardware and software development can breathe new life into Apple’s AI ambitions. Whether this leadership change will deliver tangible improvements to Siri remains to be seen, but the pressure is on for Apple to prove that it can still innovate in a rapidly evolving industry.