Apple Taps Kim Vorrath to Help Fix AI and Siri [Report]
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Posted January 25, 2025 at 12:29am by iClarified
Apple has tapped veteran executive Kim Vorrath to help improve AI and Siri, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
Vorrath, a vice president in charge of program management, was moved to Apple's artificial intelligence and machine learning division this week, according to people with knowledge of the matter. She'll be a top deputy to AI chief John Giannandrea, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the change hasn't been announced publicly.
Vorrath has been at Apple for 36 years and is known for managing the development of complex software projects. In the mid-2000s, she led project management for the original iPhone software group. Until 2019, she oversaw project management for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS before transitioning to visionOS. Haley Allen will replace Vorrath in overseeing program management for visionOS.
Apple has been struggling to catch up with AI leaders such as OpenAI, Meta, and Alphabet. The rollout of Apple Intelligence has been slow and inconsistent, with key features like notification summaries temporarily paused due to inaccuracies. Additionally, Siri has faced criticism for lagging behind major competitors and failing to provide correct answers to relatively simple questions.
According to a leaked memo from Giannandrea, the group's previous head of program management, Kelsey Peterson, will now report to Vorrath, along with two other AI executives, Cindy Lin and Marc Schonbrun.
The memo also reveals that the artificial intelligence group is focused on revamping Siri's underlying infrastructure and improving the company's in-house AI models this year.
More details can be found in the full report linked below…