Apple Still Needs More Time For Its Anticipated 'AI' Siri, At Least That's What The Company Fears

The chaos within Apple's artificial intelligence (AI) division deepened as the company indefinitely delayed the previously promised update to its Siri digital assistant features.

A series of features were announced by Apple in June last year, including Siri's ability to use personal information to answer questions and provide more precise control over apps, however, all these fancy functions are expected to be released sometime in the next year. While the iPhone maker had not initially set a specific deadline for these features, they were originally planned for the iOS 18.4 software update in April this year.

According to insiders, Apple faced significant challenges in developing these features, pushing their release to at least May—the expected launch date for iOS 18.5. Since then, Apple engineers have been racing to fix a series of bugs in the project. According to individuals involved in the development, these efforts have not succeeded, and they now believe the features will not be ready until next year.

Some within Apple's AI division believe the development work for these features may be scrapped entirely, requiring a complete rebuild. If so, the release of these features could be delayed until 2026, when Apple plans to roll out the next-generation Siri.

These features were first showcased at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last June during the unveiling of Apple Intelligence. At this year's WWDC, Apple does not plan to showcase any major AI breakthroughs but will instead focus on integrating Apple Intelligence into more apps.

The delays, particularly for features already announced, have put Apple in an awkward position and further highlight the company's struggles in the AI space. They could also hinder future improvements.

Apple had originally planned to make Siri more ChatGPT-like next year, enabling natural conversational interactions. However, it is now expected that only the most basic elements of this upgrade will be ready by the release of iOS 19 in 2026. According to insiders, the user-facing interface may not arrive until iOS 20 in 2027.

Earlier reports indicated that Apple employees have questioned whether CEO Tim Cook or the company's board needs to take action to replace the leadership of the AI team. They believe that without significant changes, Apple will continue to fall behind. Earlier this year, Apple brought in software industry veteran Kim Vorrath to assist the team.

For Apple, these delays are particularly embarrassing, as the company has been advertising these in-development features in TV commercials for nearly six months. During the iPhone 16 launch last fall, Apple marketed the device as built for Apple Intelligence. Now, the core features of this experience may not arrive until months after the iPhone 17 hits the market.

Internally, Apple is also concerned that enhancing Siri will require running more powerful AI models on its devices. This could strain hardware capabilities, meaning Apple may need to either reduce functionality or slow down the models on existing or older devices. Additionally, future hardware upgrades will be necessary to fully support these features.

Siri did receive some improvements with the launch of iOS 18, including integration with OpenAI's ChatGPT and a text-input option called Type to Siri. It also incorporated Apple product knowledge and introduced a new glowing interface, but these changes did not involve underlying technological advancements.

This slow progress could further widen the gap between Apple and competitors like Amazon in the voice assistant market. Amazon is set to launch its highly anticipated Alexa+ in March, while Samsung and Google have already deeply integrated AI into their devices.