Facepalm: Apple's struggles with artificial intelligence are evident when you look at the challenges Siri is facing. The company's original plans and promised upgrades for current iPhone users didn't pan out. While Apple still aims to implement the Siri overhaul in iOS 19 this fall, other commitments could push it into 2026.
Apple's much-delayed AI Siri features are still in limbo. In a candid address to the Siri team, Robby Walker, a senior director at Apple, acknowledged that delays to key features have been both "ugly" and "embarrassing." The decision to publicly showcase these features before they were ready exacerbated the situation, anonymous sources revealed to Bloomberg.
"This was not one of these situations where we get to show people our plan after it's done," Walker told the team at a private gathering. "We showed people before."
The features in question, unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference last June, are designed to enhance Siri's capabilities by leveraging user data and improving app control. However, when Apple demonstrated these features using a video mock-up, it only had a barely working prototype. The goal was to make Siri respond to queries and analyze content more effectively, but it currently functions correctly about 60 to 80 percent of the time.
Walker praised the team for developing "incredibly impressive" features but admitted that the current state of the technology is not ready for public release.
"These are not quite ready to go to the general public, even though our competitors might have launched them in this state or worse," he said.
The decision to delay was driven by quality concerns, with software chief Craig Federighi expressing similar reservations about the technology's readiness. Federighi had voiced concerns to other senior executives that the features weren't working as advertised, ultimately prompting the decision to delay.
The delay significantly impacts Apple's broader AI strategy, Apple Intelligence. The company initially planned to include these features in iOS 18.5 but now aims to roll them out with iOS 19. Walker noted that while Apple intends to implement them in iOS 19, expected to launch this fall, shifting priorities could push the release further. As Apple balances multiple commitments, it may need to reassess trade-offs.
Despite the challenges, Walker expressed optimism about the future of Siri, comparing the effort to a long-distance swim.
"We swam hundreds of miles – we set a Guinness Book for World Records for swimming distance – but we still didn't swim to Hawaii," he said, referring to the team's progress and the distance it still has to cover to meet their goal.
Apple is not planning immediate executive changes over the AI crisis. However, it is considering "management adjustments." The company has already brought in Kim Vorrath, a veteran executive known for fixing projects, to assist the team. "Intense personal accountability" is shared among top executives, including John Giannandrea, the head of AI at Apple, and Craig Federighi.
In the meantime, Apple continues enhancing Siri's capabilities, including a Type-to-Siri interface and improved product knowledge. The company is also planning to expand Apple Intelligence into several new languages and is working with partners like Alibaba and Baidu to enable features for China.
However, the road ahead remains challenging, with significant technical hurdles to bring Siri to what Apple considers a competitive level. The company's upgrade roadmap extends into 2027, focusing on making Siri more conversational, allowing it to better compete with other AI chatbots. Walker noted that this path will require a new infrastructure.
Apple's AI strategy plagued by delays, Siri upgrade remains in limbo
