THE ESSENTIALS IN 30 SECONDS

  • John Ternus, Apple's CEO since the start of September, told Wired's Steven Levy that he likes where Apple stands in AI despite outside criticism.
  • He said Apple will use AI in new products but judges success by whether people love them, not by whether they notice AI at work.
  • Asked whether agents could make apps unnecessary, he said that could make life easier but called product creation deeply human and personal.

John Ternus, who took over as Apple's chief executive on September 1, has given one of his first detailed public explanations of how the company approaches artificial intelligence. Speaking to Wired's Steven Levy at Apple's Los Angeles launch of a touchscreen MacBook Pro, he defended the company's position in AI, according to accounts of the interview by TechCrunch and The Next Web.

What Ternus said

Ternus acknowledged that everyone has an opinion about Apple's place in the AI race, but said he is happy with where the company is. He said Apple will make full use of AI in new products, while rejecting AI as a goal in itself: "We don't want to ship AI for AI's sake." In his framing, the measure of success is that people should not need to ask whether a feature works because of AI or because of conventional software; what counts is whether Apple built something they love.

Levy also asked whether AI agents could take over much of the work people now do through apps. Ternus said such agents could make life much easier, but argued that creating products is a deeply human and personal activity. The Next Web adds that he did not say whether he supports AI regulation, and that he described looking at reports about powerful models from a cybersecurity angle, with Apple's priority being to keep products secure and users' data protected.

Why it matters

Apple has often been portrayed as trailing rivals in generative AI, particularly after it postponed a more capable version of Siri. TechCrunch notes that this revamped assistant finally launched this summer. Ternus's remarks suggest continuity with the company's long-standing line that technology should be invisible to users rather than marketed for its own sake.

Ternus, 51, has spent 25 years at Apple and has been CEO for less than two months; Tim Cook is now executive chairman, and Ternus told Wired he consults him when needed. The interview offers a statement of philosophy rather than a roadmap. Ternus did not detail specific upcoming AI features, partners or timelines in the accounts reviewed here, so how this approach will translate into products remains to be seen.