What just happened? If you're going to promote something, make sure it lives up to the promises you make. Case in point, Apple is being sued over Apple Intelligence features it advertised and has since delayed. Cupertino removed ads for the upgraded version of Siri, but they had already been running for several months, showcasing them as key new features in the latest iPhones and other Apple devices.
The suit, filed Wednesday in US District Court in San Jose, highlights ads for the iPhone 16 that promised a more personal Siri experience thanks to the power of Apple Intelligence.
The ads in question feature The Last of Us and Game of Thrones actress Bella Ramsey demonstrating some of the upgraded Siri's capabilities. It all looks pretty impressive.
However, months after the ads had been running, Apple confirmed that the upgraded Siri would not be arriving until 2026. The company never gave any reasons for the delay.
The mess led to upheaval among Apple execs, with AI head John Giannandrea being replaced by Mike Rockwell, the vice president in charge of the Vision Products Group.
The suit claims that Apple's advertisements created the expectation that the Apple Intelligence features would be available upon the iPhone 16's release. It adds that while Apple recently pulled the ad from YouTube, it has failed to retract all the similarly false representations in the market that began in the Summer of 2024.
Apple is accused of promoting a functionality that did not exist and continuing to advertise the features even after it knew they would not arrive in time, all with the aim of encouraging people to buy a new Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone.
"Contrary to Defendant's claims of advanced AI capabilities, the Products offered a significantly limited or entirely absent version of Apple Intelligence, misleading consumers about its actual utility and performance," the suit reads.
"Worse yet, Defendant promoted its Products based on these overstated AI capabilities, leading consumers to believe they were purchasing a device with features that did not exist or were materially misrepresented."
It was recently reported that Robby Walker, a senior director at Apple, spoke to the Siri team, acknowledging that delays to key features have been both "ugly" and "embarrassing," especially as they had been showcased prior to release.
The company filing the suit, Clarkson Law Firm, has experience in this area. It previously sued Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft over alleged misuse of personal and copyrighted data to train their AI systems. The tech giants defeated the suits.
Apple hit with false advertising lawsuit over Apple Intelligence delays
