Robotics

Apple has reportedly restructured its internal teams to move its secretive robotics project out of the artificial intelligence division and into its hardware engineering group.

The shift is seen as part of a broader effort to refocus the company’s strategy around AI and robotics as it faces mounting pressure to catch up with competitors in the artificial intelligence race.

Robotics unplugged from AI leadership

Until recently, Apple’s robotics initiative was under the purview of John Giannandrea, senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy.

Giannandrea had been leading Apple’s AI development, including Siri and other machine learning efforts, since joining from Google in 2018.

Now, oversight of robotics is reportedly being transferred to John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering.

While the company has not officially confirmed the move or its intentions, analysts see the shift as a signal that Apple may be preparing to turn its robotics research into physical products – possibly new hardware platforms.

This isn’t the first time Apple has quietly reorganized teams working on futuristic technologies.

It recently restructured the Siri group as well, moving responsibility to Mike Rockwell, who previously led development of Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset.

Moreover, it’s probably worth saying that robotics is primarily a hardware “problem”, in that the technical challenge is building machines that can interact within the real world, so it probably should never have been under the purview of the AI department.

Inside a computer, a virtual robot can be programmed to do anything, no matter how crazy. But in the real world, outside the computer, machines have to work with the laws of physics as well as many other things – people, other machines and structures, and so on.

Disassembling the future: Daisy the robot

Apple’s only publicly acknowledged robot is “Daisy” (main image), a recycling robot designed to disassemble iPhones.

Unveiled in 2018, Daisy can dismantle up to 200 iPhones per hour, extracting valuable components such as rare earth magnets and tungsten for reuse.

While Daisy was built for sustainability purposes, the underlying precision and automation technology raises an interesting question: could such a robot be adapted to assemble products, not just take them apart?

Assembly, of course, presents different technical challenges – such as component alignment, bonding, and quality assurance.

Still, Apple’s experience in disassembly robotics might provide a useful foundation if it ever chose to develop automated assembly systems, potentially for use in its manufacturing lines or for future home products.

A home robot on the horizon?

Reports have surfaced over the past year that Apple has been developing a robot for the home – not just a voice assistant like the HomePod or Siri, but a mobile, physical robot.

Although few verified details exist, speculation centers on a possible wheeled assistant that can follow users, display content, and perform simple household tasks.

Early concepts have allegedly included robots with iPad-like screens for video calls, home monitoring, and integration with smart home functions.

Unlike humanoid robots developed by other tech companies, Apple may be focusing more on user interaction and emotional design rather than trying to mimic human anatomy.

Some observers suggest this home robot project has encountered technical hurdles and may be years away from commercial launch – if it launches at all.

AI: Apple’s lagging frontier?

Apple has often marketed its privacy-first approach to AI, focusing on on-device processing rather than data-center-driven models.

However, the tech world has shifted rapidly toward generative AI and large language models – areas where Apple has yet to make a strong public showing.

Siri, once an early leader in digital assistants, has fallen behind competitors like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant in both functionality and flexibility.

Internal reports have described the pace of Siri development as “ugly” and “embarrassing,” leading to multiple reorganizations over the past year.

Apple is now investing heavily to close the gap. The company is expected to unveil a suite of new AI features, branded under “Apple Intelligence”, in its upcoming operating system updates.

However, some of the most advanced Siri upgrades have reportedly been delayed until 2026.

What’s next?

The reassignment of Apple’s robotics group to the hardware division suggests the company may be preparing to turn years of quiet experimentation into real, possibly consumer-facing products.

Whether that means a mobile home robot, enhanced manufacturing automation, or entirely new device categories remains to be seen.

Apple’s slow but deliberate approach often contrasts with its more outspoken competitors.

But with AI and robotics now converging in the tech world’s next great race, Apple may be laying the groundwork for a new era of intelligent machines – ones designed not just to respond to commands, but to sense, move, and interact with the physical world.

For now, Apple remains silent on the details. But as with all things Apple, even whispers of a robot are enough to spark a wave of speculation – and anticipation.