John Giannandrea will oversee Apple's machine learning and artificial intelligence strategy, and report directly to the chief executive, Timothy D. Cook. Apple has hired Google's chief of search and artificial intelligence, John Giannandrea, a major coup in its bid to catch up to the artificial intelligence technology of its rivals.

John Giannandrea, Google's former head of search and artificial intelligence, is joining Apple. The hire, first reported by The New York Times, comes one day after the executive announced he was stepping down from his role at Google, itself a surprise move amid a broader executive reshuffle that now makes much more sense in hindsight. Giannandrea, a machine learning expert who joined Google back in 2010, is a huge get for Apple, which has struggled for years to make progress in fast-moving and increasingly important AI fields like computer vision and natural language processing. Giannandrea will report directly to CEO Tim Cook as the leader of "machine learning and AI strategy," according to the Times. Both Facebook and Google, and to a lesser extent Amazon and Microsoft, are powerhouses in AI, employing hundreds of researchers working across a number of different domains that routinely publish substantive papers that help inform internal products and the collective AI research community at large.

Apple has hired Google's chief of search and artificial intelligence, John Giannandrea, a major coup in its bid to catch up to the artificial intelligence technology of its rivals. Apple said Tuesday that Giannandrea will run Apple's "machine learning and AI strategy," and become one of 16 executives who report directly to Apple's chief executive, Tim Cook. The hire is a victory for Apple, which many Silicon Valley executives and analysts view as lagging its peers in artificial intelligence, an increasingly crucial technology for companies that enable computers to handle more complex tasks, like understanding voice commands or identifying people in images. "Our technology must be infused with the values we all hold dear," Cook said Tuesday morning in an email to staff members obtained by The New York Times. "John shares our commitment to privacy and our thoughtful approach as we make computers even smarter and more personal."

Google's former head of artificial intelligence John Giannandrea is joining Apple in an effort to improve the firm's voice assistant. Mr Giannandrea, a machine learning expert who joined Google in 2010, will report directly to CEO Tim Cook, it has emerged. The Scottish born specialist announced that he would be stepping down from his role at the search engine earlier this week. It is hoped his expertise can be used to make Siri smarter, as the pioneering software continues to lag behind newcomers from rivals Google and Amazon. Google's former head of artificial intelligence John Giannandrea (pictured) is joining Apple in an effort to improve the firm's voice assistant.

Apple has hired Google's former head of search and artificial intelligence to lead its machine learning and AI strategy. John Giannandrea will report directly to chief executive Tim Cook, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. The appointment comes at the same time that the tech giant looks to develop its Siri digital assistant. It was reported last week that Apple was looking for more than 150 engineers to work on the platform. Mr Giannandrea joined Google in 2010 after it acquired the search start-up Metaweb, where he had served as chief technology officer.

Apple has hired Google's chief of search and artificial intelligence, John Giannandrea, a major coup in its bid to catch up to the artificial intelligence technology of its rivals. Apple said on Tuesday that Mr. Giannandrea will run Apple's "machine learning and A.I. strategy," and become one of 16 executives who report directly to Apple's chief executive, Timothy D. Cook. The hire is a victory for Apple, which many Silicon Valley executives and analysts view as lagging its peers in artificial intelligence, an increasingly crucial technology for companies that enable computers to handle more complex tasks, like understanding voice commands or identifying people in images. "Our technology must be infused with the values we all hold dear," Mr. Cook said Tuesday morning in an email to staff members obtained by The New York Times. "John shares our commitment to privacy and our thoughtful approach as we make computers even smarter and more personal."

Apple has regularly been accused of lagging behind Google in AI development, but it just scored a major victory that could help it turn things around. The iPhone maker has hired Google's just-departed AI and search chief, John Giannandrea, to head up its "machine learning and AI strategy." It's not certain if Apple has specific plans for the new exec, but Cook observed in a message to staff (obtained by the New York Times) that Giannandrea shared "our commitment to privacy and our thoughtful approach." In other words, don't expect him to widen Apple's data collection just because of his Google history. When Giannandrea stepped down, initial reports indicated that he would stay at Google in a position that gave him more "hands on" time.