Apple's AI chief gave this warning to the Siri team when he started working with them

• Apple's head of AI strategy and machine learning, John Giannandrea, has run Siri since 2018.
• His first instruction to the Siri team, he says, was "failure is not an option."
• The popularity of Apple's voice assistant makes it an exceptional proving ground for AI.

When Apple's head of AI strategy and machine learning, John Giannandrea, joined the company in 2018, the company's voice assistant, Siri, was struggling to live up to its promise.

Looking for a turnaround, Giannandrea says his first instruction to the Siri team was inspired by legendary NASA Chief Flight Director Gene Kranz: "Failure is not an option."