Apple's new CEO says he won't ship AI for AI's sake
John Ternus told Wired that Apple will use AI in its products but does not want to add it just for the sake of it.
The facts
- Apple CEO John Ternus defended the company's AI position in an interview with Wired's Steven Levy, according to TechCrunch.
- TechCrunch says Apple has often been seen as behind on AI, partly because it delayed a more powerful version of Siri, which launched this summer.
- Ternus, who became CEO at the beginning of September, said he likes where Apple is and that it will "absolutely" use AI in new products.
- Asked whether AI agents could make apps unnecessary, he said that could make life easy, but that creating products is a deeply human thing for Apple.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
Big tech is racing to put AI in everything. Apple's new boss is saying the opposite: the feature matters, not the label. That's a bet that most people don't care what powers a tool, only whether it works. It's also a polite way of answering the "Apple is late" criticism without arguing the point.
For traders
Treat a CEO interview as sentiment, not evidence. Watch what Apple actually ships and how people use it, not how the quote gets framed on CT.
For builders
If Apple wants AI to be invisible, apps that bolt on a chatbot for the sake of it may look dated. Build features where users never need to know a model is involved. Keep an eye on how Ternus's comment on agents and apps plays out for anyone selling through the App Store.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from TechCrunch's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.