📰 Key Takeaways

Apple CEO John Ternus defended where Apple stands on AI in an interview with Wired’s Steven Levy. Over the past two years Apple has often been rated as behind in AI, especially since a more powerful version of Siri was delayed again and again until it finally launched this summer. Ternus is a longtime Apple executive who officially took over as CEO in early September. He admitted that “everyone has their own opinion,” but stressed that “I really like where we are right now.”

He said Apple will “absolutely” use AI in new products, but doesn’t want to ship AI just for the sake of AI. In his view, when things are done right, users shouldn’t have to think about whether AI or traditional software is working behind the scenes. What really matters is whether the company builds products people truly love.

Levy pushed further, asking whether AI could shake up Apple and its ecosystem even more dramatically, for example with AI agents potentially making apps unnecessary. Ternus responded that this might make life very easy, but that creating products is a deeply human and personal thing, and it’s work Apple enjoys.

The original summary doesn’t give specific product specs or technical details, so please see the original link for the full story.

💬 JudyAI Lab Take

In the interview, Apple’s new CEO Ternus said it straight: Apple will use AI, but doesn’t want to ship AI for AI’s sake. With outside critics saying Apple is behind on AI, that statement is worth paying attention to.

Over the past two years, Apple has often been rated as behind in AI because a more powerful Siri kept getting delayed, and it only finally launched this summer. Ternus’s answer shifts the discussion from “do you have AI?” to “do people truly love the product?” For AI builders, this reflects a design mindset: when things are done right, users don’t have to think about whether AI or traditional software is working behind the scenes. Lots of teams treat AI as a selling point, but what users care about is usually the result itself. On the other hand, when the reporter asked whether AI agents could make apps unnecessary, Ternus only said that creating products is a deeply human, personal thing. That answer doesn’t directly lay out Apple’s concrete strategy, and we shouldn’t read too much into it, but it does point to something worth thinking about: no matter how strong the technology gets, someone still has to decide what kind of product to build.

It’s worth going back over the features you’ve built. Try removing the “AI” label and see whether users still find them useful and worth keeping.

📅 Source Info

🔗 Further Reading