Highlights
- Apple has reportedly scaled back its AI health coach plans after key leadership changes.
- Chief Eddy Cue questioned Apple’s health service vision, noting rivals like Oura and Whoop offer stronger features.
- Apple is repurposing its Oakland studio for health video content and plans advanced Siri health queries with iOS 27.
Apple Health App. (Image credit – Apple)
Apple has reportedly scaled down its ambitious plans for an AI-powered health coach as part of its Project Mulberry initiative. According to a new report from Bloomberg, the decision follows major leadership changes within the company’s health and artificial intelligence teams.
Leadership Changes Disrupt Original Timeline
Apple’s Project Mulberry was initially expected to debut alongside iOS 26. However, its timeline reportedly shifted multiple times due to organisational changes across Apple’s health and AI divisions.
On the health front, longtime chief operating officer Jeff Williams retired, and responsibility for Apple’s health and fitness initiatives moved under services chief Eddy Cue.
At the same time, Apple’s AI leadership also saw a shakeup. John Giannandrea, senior vice president of Machine Learning and AI Strategy, announced plans to step down and retire in spring 2026. Much of his organisation is set to be merged into the broader software engineering group led by Craig Federighi.
Apple Rethinks Competitive Position in Health Tech
According to Bloomberg, Eddy Cue was not convinced that Apple’s existing vision for a new health service was strong enough to compete with current market offerings.
The report states, “Cue has told colleagues that Apple needs to move faster and be more competitive in health, the people said. He added that newer rivals — including Oura Health Oy and Whoop Inc. — offer more compelling and useful features, particularly through their iPhone apps. The longtime Apple executive didn’t think that the company’s existing plan for a new health service met that bar. He’s also considering changes to Apple Fitness+, a $9.99-per-month competitor to Peloton Interactive Inc.’s app that offers guided workouts.”
The AI Health Coach Features May Still Arrive Gradually
Bloomberg first revealed last year that Apple was developing Project Mulberry, a project aimed at introducing an AI-driven health coach within a redesigned Health app. The virtual coach was said to be trained using data from Apple-employed physicians. It would be supported by insights from sleep specialists, nutritionists, physical therapists, mental health professionals, and cardiologists.
The goal was to deliver educational, health-focused video content directly inside the app.
As part of this effort, Apple reportedly built a production studio in Oakland, California, to create the video content. Bloomberg now says this studio “will be repurposed and introduced as early as this year.”
The videos are expected to help users better understand concerning health trends with recordings continuing at a new Oakland facility, according to Mark Gurman. Apple has also been exploring the idea of bringing in a “major doctor personality” to act as a “host” for the service. Internally, some Apple employees have referred to the concept as ‘Health+.’
The report adds that Apple intends to allow a revamped Siri with iOS 27 “to support more advanced health-related queries across the Health app and its operating systems.”
FAQs
Q1. Why did Apple scale back its AI health coach plans?
Answer. The decision followed major leadership changes in Apple’s health and AI divisions, including Jeff Williams’ retirement and John Giannandrea’s upcoming departure.
Q2. What was Project Mulberry originally expected to deliver?
Answer. Project Mulberry aimed to introduce an AI-driven health coach within the Health app, supported by insights from physicians, sleep specialists, nutritionists, and other experts.
Q3. Will Apple still release health-related features in the future?
Answer. Yes, Apple is repurposing its Oakland studio to produce health video content and plans to enable Siri to handle advanced health queries with iOS 27.