Siri "missed the deadline," Apple AI is struggling

Apple's highly anticipated major upgrade plan for Siri may be delayed.

On February 15, Bloomberg reported that insiders revealed that this project, seen as the core of Apple's AI strategy, is facing software bugs and engineering issues, which may lead to delays in the release of some features or limited functionality.

Last June, Apple first disclosed the AI upgrade plan for Siri at the developer conference and previewed some new features to users. The upgrade of Siri mainly includes three highlights:

First, it will be able to access user data to better answer questions and take actions;

Second, the new system will enable Siri to control applications more precisely;

Third, it will be able to recognize content on the device's screen and use this contextual information to better serve users.

However, insiders indicated that Apple is still working hard to improve this software system. These new features were originally planned to be launched in the iOS 18.4 update in April this year, but now the company is considering postponing some or all of the upgrades to the iOS 18.5 version, which may be released as early as May. Another possible compromise is to include these features in the April version but have them turned off by default, then automatically enabled in the iOS 18.5 update.

It is worth noting that the delay in the Siri upgrade may affect other Apple products. For example, the precise control feature for applications (an upgraded version of App Intents) is the core operating system for Apple's upcoming smart home hub device. This product is planned to be released later this year, primarily for controlling smart appliances and FaceTime calls.

Siri, launched in 2011 as a groundbreaking voice assistant, was once a proud technological innovation for Apple. However, with the rapid rise of competitors, Siri has gradually become a symbol of Apple's lag in the AI field.

Therefore, successfully upgrading Siri is crucial for Apple. This plan is not only a core component of the Apple Intelligence platform but also a key strategy for Apple to catch up with the AI wave and stimulate iPhone sales.

However, even before the issues with Siri arose, the promotion of Apple Intelligence had already faced many challenges. Since its debut last October, this system has been released in phases, with some features (such as news summaries) criticized due to malfunction issues. Moreover, the company is facing a harsh reality internally: its AI platform lags behind competitor systems such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Alphabet's Google Gemini, and Meta's Llama in functionality.

The latest sales data also shows that iPhone sales unexpectedly declined by 1% during the holiday season, indicating that AI features may not have significantly driven sales.

Nevertheless, Apple CEO Tim Cook remains optimistic about Apple Intelligence during the recent earnings call:

"Apple Intelligence has opened an exciting new realm, enhancing the user experience on iPhone, iPad, and Mac."

Currently, Apple is also making adjustments to its AI and machine learning department. The company recently appointed senior software director Kim Vorrath, who led the development of the original iPhone and Vision Pro software, to a senior position in the team. At present, Apple's AI projects are led by John Giannandrea, a former Google executive who joined the company in 2018