new report from information Today we’ll take a closer look at the current structure of Apple’s AI organization, which is currently overseen by Craig Federighi. According to the story, Federighi is responsible for Apple’s decision to start using models from outside companies such as Google.
The report also confirms previous reports that Federighi was an “AI skeptic” before trying OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022.
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The report describes Mr. Federighi as a “penny pincher who strictly controls his salary and is reluctant to invest in risky projects unless the rewards are clear.” This is one of the reasons he didn’t buy into the AI hype until 2022, and remains one of the “potential risks to putting Mr. Federighi in charge of AI.”
Federighi “tends to scrutinize every detail of his team’s spending, right down to the budget for bananas and other office snacks,” the report said. “Mr. Federighi resents the idea that hiring such talent might require paying him more than Apple executives earn,” the report said.
Apple’s AI group is also concerned that Federighi’s “travel will be curtailed and he will be unable to attend as many industry conferences.”
The report said Federighi’s lieutenants tried “for years” to “get him to join AI.”
Apple engineers reportedly pitched Federighi the ability to use AI to “dynamically” change the iPhone’s home screen. Federighi believed that such a feature would be “confusing to users who are used to knowing where the app is.” Apple offers a Siri Suggestions widget that actively tries to show apps on people’s iPhone home screens.
One of Federighi’s concerns about AI was its unpredictability. During a design review meeting to consider a software feature, he wanted a final answer from the team about how the feature would work. Mr. Federighi preferred software to be hardwired to behave a certain way rather than relying on algorithms to dynamically change its behavior, according to people who have worked with him.
Ultimately, the report states that Federighi arrived at AI in late 2022 after experimenting with ChatGPT. “After trying out the OpenAI chatbot, Mr. Federighi told his colleagues that he came to appreciate that type of AI technology and challenged his team to figure out how to incorporate it into Apple products,” the report said.
Federighi currently oversees Apple’s AI group. Mike Rockwell will be responsible for Siri and will report to Federighi. Rockwell has reportedly said in the past that Federighi’s approach to software development is “too conservative and Apple needs to think more broadly.”
bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has also reported extensively on the structure and inner workings of Apple’s AI and machine learning teams. Garman’s report details the rift between Federighi and John Gianandrea last year.
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