Apple has appointed Kim Vorrath, a veteran executive known for her expertise in product development and problem-solving, to lead its

artificial intelligence

(AI) and

Siri

department, a report claims. Vorrath, a vice president of program management, has been reportedly moved to Apple's AI and machine learning division as a top deputy to AI chief

John Giannandrea

.

This move signals Apple's renewed focus on improving its AI capabilities, particularly its

Siri voice assistant

, which has faced criticism compared to competitors like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Vorrath is set to join the new team from Apple's hardware engineering division, where she played a key role in launching the Vision Pro headset.

In an internal memo (seen by Bloomberg), Giannandrea, who has led Apple’s AI efforts since 2018, announced the leadership changes. The executive noted that Vorrath, known for her expertise in organising engineering teams and streamlining workflows, has joined his AI team at Apple after advising Kelsey Peterson, the group’s former program management head. Peterson, along with AI executives Cindy Lin and Marc Schonbrun, will now report to Vorrath, the memo added.
This move highlights Apple’s growing focus on AI, now considered a greater priority than the Vision Pro headset. As the AI group gains prominence, Vorrath is expected to integrate Apple’s product development culture into its operations. Giannandrea's memo also noted that the AI team is prioritising a revamp of Siri's infrastructure and enhancing Apple's in-house AI models this year.

Apple launched its Apple Intelligence platform in October 2024 with basic features like text message summarization. The company later added tools like Genmoji for creating AI-powered custom emojis.
However, plans to overhaul Siri as part of the AI rollout are still in progress, with a revamped version expected to be revealed in iOS 18.4 in April. The update will enable Siri to better use customer data, recognise on-screen content, and control apps through App Intents.
Despite these efforts, Siri has faced criticism for its limited functionality compared to rivals like Samsung's AI, which integrates Google's Gemini platform. Apple is also developing a more advanced, conversational version of Siri, similar to ChatGPT, which is expected to debut around 2026 with potential previews this year.
Additionally, Apple faced backlash over inaccurate AI-generated news summaries, leading to the removal of the feature for news and entertainment apps, with no timeline for its return.