Apple appoints AI chief John Giannandrea to exec team

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John Giannandrea, senior vice president of artificial intelligence and machine learning strategy at Apple, speaks at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2017.

Apple on Thursday said John Giannandrea, the company’s recently appointed senior vice president of artificial intelligence and machine learning strategy, is now part of the company’s executive team. He reports to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Apple’s move comes as the company looks to raise its profile in AI, alongside Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft.

“John hit the ground running at Apple and we are thrilled to have him as part of our executive team,” Cook said in a statement. “Machine learning and AI are important to Apple’s future as they are fundamentally changing the way people interact with technology, and already helping our customers live better lives. We’re fortunate to have John, a leader in the AI industry, driving our efforts in this critical area.”

Giannandrea joined Apple in April after nearly eight years at Google, where he ultimately became the leader of search, along with machine intelligence and research. At Apple he handles the company’s Siri virtual assistant, as well as the Core ML software that developers can use to incorporate artificial intelligence capabilities into their applications.

Others on Apple’s executive team include Katherine Adams, Angela Ahrendts, Eddy Cue, Craig Federighi, Jonathan Ive, Luca Maestri, Dan Riccio, Phil Schiller, Johny Srouji and Jeff Williams.

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