Apple CEO John Ternus says the company does not "want to ship AI for AI's sake", in a new interview with Wired's Steven Levy. It is his clearest public statement yet on how Apple sees artificial intelligence, at a moment when rivals are pushing AI features into almost every product they sell.
Ternus took over as CEO at the beginning of September after a long career inside Apple. He used the interview to push back on the idea that the company has fallen behind, saying: "I really like where we're at" — even while accepting that "everyone has an opinion".
Apple's AI position and the Siri delay
Apple has often been described as behind on AI over the past two years, especially after it delayed a more powerful version of Siri. That version finally arrived this summer, and much of the criticism of Apple's AI work has centred on that delay and on the gap with rival assistants and chatbots.
Ternus did not dispute the delay directly. Instead he argued that the way Apple builds products matters more than the label attached to them, and that the company still intends to use AI widely across its range.
- Ternus became Apple CEO at the start of September, after years as a senior executive at the company.
- He was interviewed by Wired's Steven Levy.
- Apple delayed a more powerful version of Siri; that version finally launched this summer.
- Ternus says new Apple products will "absolutely" use AI.
