Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, was widely seen as a major force behind Apple's decision to use Google's Generative AI "Gemini" as the base model for its own AI system instead of relying on Apple's in-house AI model. Overseeing software including the operating system, he is considered the most publicly recognizable executive after Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook.
The Information, a U.S. IT outlet, reported on the 22nd, citing sources, that after receiving a Siri-related report early last year, Vice President Federighi ordered evaluations of external models to begin. The decision weighed on Apple's internal foundation model development team and, in July, helped prompt core members, including Head of Team Luoming Fang, to move to Meta.
Federighi is known at WWDC and other events for humor and action-star-style performances, but he is seen as conservative and cautious in his actual work. When staff proposed using AI to change the iPhone's screen, he declined out of concern for user confusion, and he was also negative about paying higher compensation than the executive level to recruit AI talent, the outlet said. There is also internal concern that travel limits could reduce chances to attend industry conferences.
Apple officially announced the adoption of Gemini on the 12th. The market is watching to see whether adopting Gemini will be a turning point in the Siri overhaul.