Apple's New CEO John Ternus: AI Isn't for Show, It's for Users

John Ternus, who took over as Apple's chief executive in early September, has used one of his first major interviews to defend the company's approach to artificial intelligence. Speaking to Wired journalist Steven Levy, the new CEO insisted there is nothing showy about the tech giant's roadmap.

He doesn't buy the criticism

Apple is frequently accused of falling behind its rivals in the AI race, largely because of the long-delayed, more capable version of Siri. The company rejects that assessment. Ternus brushed aside the ongoing industry debate with a single line: "Everyone has an opinion, but I'm really happy with where we are."

The CEO said AI technology will certainly be put to use in new products, and explained the reasoning behind it. His core philosophy is that users should never have to notice which technology is doing the work:

"We don't want to offer AI just for the sake of AI. When we do our job right, users won't have to wonder whether there's AI behind something or traditional software. What really matters is whether we're building something people will genuinely love."

Will autonomous agents kill apps?

Levy also raised the question of whether autonomous AI agents could eventually make classic apps obsolete and fundamentally reshape Apple's ecosystem. Ternus acknowledged that such scenarios carry the potential to make life easier, but put the emphasis on the human side: "Still, the product development process is a deeply human and personal thing — it's what we love doing most."