Apple CEO John Ternus says the company won’t ship AI for AI’s sake

In a Wired interview, Apple's new chief defended the company's measured approach to artificial intelligence after years of being labeled a laggard Apple’s new CEO has a message for anyone who thinks the company is late to the AI party. It’s not late. It’s simply choosing its moment. In an interview with Wired’s Steven Levy, John Ternus defended Apple’s position in the artificial intelligence race, arguing that the company will use AI heavily in its products while refusing to treat it as a gimmick. What Ternus actually said Ternus told Levy that Apple will lean on AI in its upcoming products, describing it as a tool the company fully intends to use. He drew a firm line around how it gets deployed, though. “We don’t want to ship AI for AI’s sake.” Ternus also pushed back on the idea that AI agents could take over the core of what Apple does. He described the act of building products as fundamentally human and personal. In his view, software that can write code or generate designs doesn’t replace the judgment behind a good product. The interview, conducted on October 30, 2026, landed during the launch week of a new touchscreen MacBook Pro, which Apple unveiled in Los Angeles. The Siri...