Apple's AI Overhaul for Siri Faces Delays and Bugs

Apple's long-awaited update for its Siri digital assistant is encountering various engineering challenges and software issues. This has led to concerns about potential delays or limitations in its rollout.

The company first shared its plans for a new AI-driven Siri at a developers conference last June. Apple even promoted some of the features to the public. However, sources familiar with the matter revealed that the company is still in a race to complete the software. Features that were supposed to launch in April may now be postponed until May or later.

The transformation of Siri is a key component of the Apple Intelligence platform, which aims to enhance the company's position in artificial intelligence and stimulate iPhone upgrades. Prior to the issues with Siri, the rollout of Apple Intelligence has already faced some hurdles. The software has been introduced gradually since its October debut, and certain features, like news summaries, have received criticism for not working properly.

Getting Siri right is particularly important for Apple, as the digital assistant was first introduced in 2011 and was considered innovative at that time. However, it has since lagged behind its competitors, raising questions about the company's capabilities in AI.

The current developments related to Siri are distinct from Apple's efforts to add AI elements to its devices in China, wherein the company is collaborating with Alibaba and Baidu to develop a compliant system for Chinese regulations.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment on the ongoing Siri project.

In June, Apple announced three main improvements for Siri:

• The ability to access a user's data to provide better responses and perform actions.
• A new feature allowing the assistant to control apps more accurately.
• The capability to see the content displayed on a device's screen to enhance user assistance.

At that time, there were hints that these changes wouldn't be launched until 2025, but the timeline remained unclear. Internally, Apple was planning to incorporate the new technology in the upcoming iOS 18.4, set to launch in April.

However, there are now discussions about postponing or restricting certain features until the release of iOS 18.5, which could occur as early as May.

The aim is to create a more capable Siri that can seamlessly access users' information and communication. For instance, users would be able to request a file or song mentioned in a text conversation with a friend, and Siri would retrieve it automatically. Apple has even showcased how Siri can quickly find someone's driver’s license number by scanning their photos.

In one notable demonstration, a presenter used Siri efficiently to locate her mother’s flight and lunch reservation plans by searching across email and text histories. Unfortunately, this feature is among those possibly facing delays.

Internally, many Apple employees testing the new Siri have reported inconsistent performance of these features, with the deadline for the software's readiness approaching. The public release of iOS 18.4 is scheduled for April, with the beta version for developers expected very soon.

One potential solution being considered is to include certain features in the April release, but with those features disabled by default. This approach would allow Apple to enable them with the iOS 18.5 update.

Apple is also contemplating this strategy for the personal data feature and the tools designed to enhance Siri's control over apps and devices. However, this could have implications for other Apple products.

The control upgrades, known as App Intents, are crucial for the functionality of Apple's forthcoming smart home hub—a device designed to manage smart home devices and conduct FaceTime calls, set to be released later this year.

Despite a substantial marketing campaign promoting Apple Intelligence, the company is grappling with an uncomfortable reality: its AI platform trails behind competing systems like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Meta's Llama. Sources say the AI and machine-learning teams at Apple have struggled to meet key deadlines, leading some engineers to feel that the project was expedited to cater to an investment community increasingly obsessed with AI advancements.

During a recent earnings call after Apple's quarterly results, CEO Tim Cook highlighted the software, stating the company would continue its investment in innovation. "Apple Intelligence opens up an exciting new frontier and is already enhancing experiences across iPhone, iPad, and Mac," he remarked.

Despite sales of the iPhone declining by about 1% during the holiday quarter—indicating AI features may not have significantly influenced sales—Cook noted that the new iPhone 16 was performing better in regions where Apple Intelligence was utilized.

Behind the scenes, Apple is contemplating organizational changes within its AI and machine-learning divisions. Recently, the company appointed veteran software executive Kim Vorrath, recognized for his work on the original iPhone and Vision Pro software, to a senior position within the team. The AI initiatives are currently overseen by John Giannandrea, a former high-ranking executive from Google who joined Apple in 2018.

The staggered rollout of Apple Intelligence features has disrupted the overall software development timeline. The company is preparing significant enhancements in conjunction with the anticipated fall launch of the iPhone 17. However, delays affecting iOS 18 capabilities are causing ripples in the development cycle. In some cases, features initially planned for iOS 19 at the end of this year could be postponed until 2026.

Users are also awaiting additional updates related to Apple Intelligence, extending beyond the new Siri. These include AI sorting for mail messages on the iPad and Mac, a priority notifications interface to highlight important alerts, and a sketch feature in the Image Playground app for image creation. The mail upgrade is likely to be part of iPadOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4, and is already available on the iPhone.

These updates to Siri are only the beginning of an ambitious plan to make the assistant more conversational and comparable to ChatGPT. This more sophisticated upgrade is expected no sooner than 2026.

Apple, Siri, AI