Apple has restructured its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy under the leadership of software chief Craig Federighi . As part of those changes, the company has accelerated plans to overhaul Siri , relying on external AI models after years of internal delays and organizational friction.
According to a detailed report from The Information, Apple's approach to artificial intelligence has undergone a significant shift over the past year. Chief software officer Craig Federighi is reportedly at the center of this shift, having taken direct oversight of the company's AI organization. Now, he appears to be guiding decisions that will shape the future of Siri and other Apple intelligence across the entire product line.
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Internal changes at Apple and review of AI strategy
Last fall, Federighi reportedly spoke to Apple's software and AI teams, expressing enthusiasm for closer collaboration while also expressing dissatisfaction with the company's pace of progress in artificial intelligence. Some members of Apple's fundamental modeling team interpreted the remarks as criticism of their work.
In December, Apple consolidated its AI leadership under Federighi, completing a transition that had begun earlier in the year when responsibility for Siri was removed from the AI team and transferred to Federighi's software division. In January, Apple announced plans to use Google's Gemini AI models to power future AI upgrades, including an improved version of Siri.
In Federighi's view, incorporating a model from another company would allow Apple to finally release a revamped Siri, after controversially postponing the update to 2025.
But the report also describes internal concerns about Federighi’s leadership of the AI division. People who have worked closely with him described him as extremely cautious about costs and skeptical of investments with uncertain returns. That approach contrasts with competitors like OpenAI, Meta Platforms and Google, which are investing tens of billions of dollars in data centers, chips and AI researchers.
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Apple has tried to reduce infrastructure costs by emphasizing on-device processing and its Private Cloud Compute, which uses Apple silicon.
Federighi reportedly viewed AI as unpredictable and difficult to control, preferring deterministic software behavior that could be clearly defined during design reviews. He rejected suggestions to use AI to dynamically reorganize the iPhone home screen, arguing that such changes would confuse users.
AI is causing tensions at Apple
Tensions over AI strategy have surfaced internally in the past. Around 2019, Mike Rockwell, who led development of the Vision Pro headset, reportedly proposed an AI-based interface. He criticized Federighi's software approach as too conservative, prompting a rebuke. Rockwell was later made head of Siri and now reports directly to Federighi.
Despite his initial skepticism, Federighi’s stance changed after ChatGPT was released in late 2022.People close to him said he became convinced of the potential of large language models after experimenting with the technology and instructed his teams to explore ways to integrate similar capabilities into Apple products. Federighi reportedly concluded that Apple’s internal models were not performing well on devices, while members of the fundamental modeling team believed they were being blamed for challenges related to model optimization, which was the responsibility of the software organization.
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Some team members complained that they weren’t given enough guidance on how their models would ultimately be used, limiting their ability to compete with outside alternatives. Around the time Apple removed Siri oversight from Giannandrea and handed it over to Rockwell (with Federighi leading the broader effort), Federighi instructed teams to evaluate deep integration of third-party models.
Despite the partnership with Google, Apple plans to continue developing its own AI models, particularly those designed to run on devices. Apple reportedly intends to shrink and adapt models sourced from third-party partners so that they can run on Apple hardware, reducing long-term reliance. To support this goal, Apple is reportedly considering acquisitions of smaller AI companies that specialize in model compression and optimization.
