Apple on Monday named veteran researcher Amar Subramanya (pictured above) as its vice president of AI, replacing John Giannandrea in a significant leadership change as the tech giant seeks to accelerate its artificial intelligence efforts.

Subramanya will lead critical areas including Apple Foundation Models and machine learning research and will report to software Chief Craig Federighi.

He is joining Apple from Microsoft, where he most recently served as corporate vice president of AI. Previously, Subramanya spent 16 years at Google, where he was, among other roles, the head of engineering for the Gemini assistant.

The appointment comes as Apple, a laggard in the AI race, has been slow to add AI features to its products in comparison to rivals such as Samsung Electronics, which have been quicker to refresh their devices with AI capabilities.

Giannandrea will serve as an adviser to Apple until his retirement in spring next year. There have been reports of Apple CEO Tim Cook losing confidence in AI head Giannandrea’s ability to execute on product development.

Earlier this year, Apple said that artificial intelligence improvements to its voice assistant Siri would be delayed until 2026, without providing reasons for the setback.

Last year, Apple announced a range of AI-driven features called Apple Intelligence, including capabilities such as rewriting emails and summarising cluttered inboxes. However, the company has faced criticism for its slow pace in implementing these features compared to competitors.

Subramanya’s extensive experience across Microsoft and Google positions him to potentially reinvigorate Apple’s AI strategy as the company works to catch up with rivals in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape.