Emergency firefighters are competing in AI! Apple's Executive Vice President Kim Vorrath has started to oversee AI and Siri work

Media reports indicate that Kim Vorrath, a senior expert known for solving problems and driving major projects at Apple, has begun overseeing improvements to Apple's artificial intelligence and Siri.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Vorrath was reassigned this week to Apple's artificial intelligence and machine learning department, where she will serve as the chief deputy to AI head John Giannandrea.

Strengthening the AI Team to Regain Leadership in AI

Analysts believe that Apple's AI team is working hard to restore the company's leadership position in the AI industry, and this appointment aims to strengthen Apple's AI team. Currently, Apple lags behind OpenAI, Meta, and Google's parent company Alphabet in the AI field, and the rollout of its "Apple Intelligence" platform has been perceived as slow and bumpy.

When Siri was launched in 2011, it was groundbreaking, but today it has become a symbol of Apple's shortcomings in AI. After all, emerging companies like OpenAI have created more powerful chatbots, while Apple's competitor Samsung has integrated AI features into its software more rapidly. Amazon is also working to adapt its Alexa platform to the AI world.

Vorrath has worked at Apple for 36 years and is known for managing complex software projects. She also established a process to quickly identify and fix bugs. Prior to this reassignment, she was part of Apple's hardware engineering department, assisting in the launch of the Vision Pro headset.

Over the years, Vorrath has been involved in several major projects at Apple. In the mid-2000s, she was appointed to lead project management for the original iPhone software team, ensuring the device's smooth launch. Before 2019, she was responsible for project management of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems, before shifting to the development of Vision Pro software. According to sources, Haley Allen will succeed Vorrath in managing VisionOS.

Before joining the AI department, Vorrath briefly provided consulting for Kelsey Peterson, the former head of project management for the AI department, who will now report to Vorrath. Additionally, AI executives Cindy Lin and Marc Schonbrun will also join her management team.

According to a long-time Apple executive, this change indicates that AI's importance has now surpassed that of Vision Pro. The executive stated that Vorrath excels at organizing engineering teams and optimizing workflows by establishing new processes.

The executive also pointed out that Giannandrea needs additional help to manage this increasingly important AI team, and Vorrath can integrate Apple's product development culture into the AI field.

This Year Will Transform Siri's Architecture and Develop a More Advanced Version of Siri

This year, the AI team will focus on transforming the underlying architecture of Siri and improving the company's internal AI models. According to a memo from Giannandrea revealed by insiders to the media, Apple plans to launch a new generation of Siri digital assistant equipped with iOS 18.4 in April, which will be better at responding to user requests and controlling device applications more precisely through the "App Intents" system.

Although Apple has promised to completely reform Siri in its AI promotion, these features are not yet ready. Even if launched, these features will not match the technological capabilities already released by Samsung.

In addition, Apple is developing a more advanced version of Siri, which is planned to provide a conversational interface closer to ChatGPT and other AI products. Reportedly, this software may be previewed as early as this year, but a full rollout is expected to take place in 2026.

Last year, Apple also reassigned software executive Kevin Lynch from the autonomous vehicle project to the AI department, where he is responsible for the secret robotics team within the organization.

However, some current and former executives have expressed concerns about whether Giannandrea can lead Apple to significant breakthroughs in the AI field. Vorrath is seen as capable of bringing more discipline to this effort. According to informed executives, despite the lukewarm consumer response to Vision Pro, Vorrath has significantly improved the workflow of its development team, ultimately leading to a substantial enhancement in software quality