Apple CEO says the company doesn’t ‘want to ship AI for AI’s sake’
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New Apple CEO John Ternus, in an interview with Wired's Steven Levy, defended Apple's AI positioning and framed AI as a means rather than a destination.
John Ternus, who officially became Apple's CEO at the start of September, defended the company's standing on AI in a recent conversation with Wired's Steven Levy. Apple has drawn criticism for lagging on AI over the past couple of years, particularly after delaying a more powerful version of Siri. That upgraded Siri finally launched this summer. Ternus acknowledged that "everyone has an opinion" on Apple's AI trajectory but said, "I really like where we're at."
On product strategy, Ternus said Apple is "absolutely going to leverage AI" in new products, but drew a line against shipping AI for its own sake. When Apple executes well, he argued, users shouldn't have to distinguish whether a feature was powered by AI or traditional software; what matters instead is whether the company built something people love.
Levy pushed further on whether AI — and autonomous agents in particular — could reshape Apple's ecosystem to the point of making apps irrelevant. Ternus conceded only that such a shift "could make life really easy," but he pointed to product creation as a deeply human and personal practice that Apple values, implying the company doesn't see AI displacing that role.
The interview comes as Apple seeks to reset the narrative around its AI efforts following leadership change and a delayed, now-released Siri upgrade.
Key facts
- • John Ternus officially became Apple's CEO at the beginning of September.
- • Ternus spoke with Wired's Steven Levy in a recent interview.
- • Apple delayed a more powerful version of Siri, which launched this summer.
- • Ternus: "We don't want to ship AI for AI's sake".
- • Ternus suggested agent-driven shifts could make apps less central but kept Apple's stance measured.
Why it matters
Apple's posture signals continued differentiation from rivals racing to embed visible AI features across product lines — a bet that user experience, not AI branding, wins adoption. For builders, it suggests Apple's platform decisions may reward utilities that work quietly under existing interfaces rather than AI-first surfaces. The coming Siri improvements and any agent-related ecosystem changes w
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