Apple Siri head: AI features repeatedly delayed "ugly and embarrassing"

According to media reports, a senior executive responsible for Siri, Apple's virtual assistant, told employees that the delay in releasing key AI features for Siri is "ugly and embarrassing," and the decision to promote them publicly before the technology was ready only made matters worse.

According to Bloomberg News, Robby Walker, a senior director at Apple, made these remarks during a closed-door all-hands meeting in the Siri department, candidly stating that the team is going through a tough time. Walker also mentioned that it is currently unclear when these enhanced features will actually be launched.

Analysts believe that this candid discussion exposes Apple's predicament in the field of artificial intelligence. Currently, Siri's intelligence level lags behind competitors, becoming a symbol of Apple's AI challenges. Apple's troubles erupted last week when the company publicly acknowledged that key features would be indefinitely delayed.

During the all-hands meeting, Walker stated that his team members might feel angry, disappointed, exhausted, and embarrassed due to the feature delays. The company has been striving to launch the related technology this spring, but insiders told the media that these features will not be available until next year at the earliest.

As of Friday's close, Apple's stock price has fallen over 12% this year, part of a broader decline in tech stocks. On Friday, the stock price rebounded, rising 1.82% to $213.49.

Wanting to make a splash but repeatedly missing deadlines

On February 14, media reports indicated that Apple encountered flaws and engineering issues in the development of AI tools for Siri. At that time, the company postponed the release date from April to May, hoping to launch the related features in the iOS 18.5 system. Now, the earliest they can be realized is during the iOS 19 system update.

These features were first announced at last year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June and are crucial for enhancing Siri's personal assistant capabilities. This technology will allow Siri to access users' personal data to respond to queries more accurately. Additionally, since its launch in 2011, Siri will be able to control applications more precisely and analyze content on users' screens for the first time.

However, according to media reports, when Apple showcased these features at WWDC, they only used video demonstrations, and there was merely a barely functional prototype at that time. Walker stated in the meeting that this delay is particularly "ugly" because Apple has already showcased these features in public.

"This is not a situation where we developed something first and then told everyone; we told everyone first."

"Worse still," Walker said, Apple's marketing team wanted to promote these enhanced features in advance. Even though the features were not ready, Apple still advertised them in a series of marketing campaigns and television commercials launched last year.

Moreover, Apple positioned these features as key selling points for the iPhone 16 series, which itself lacks significant changes. Additionally, this is part of Apple's broader AI strategy—Apple Intelligence Walker also expressed doubts about whether the features could be released on the expected timeline. Although Apple's goal is to launch them with iOS 19, "that doesn't mean we will definitely be able to release them at that time," he said. The company is still developing multiple priority projects and must make trade-offs.

He mentioned several software and hardware projects at Apple and stated that the company would decide the release timeline on a case-by-case basis during the development of specific products.

"Apple has other important commitments that we want to fulfill, and their timelines are now more urgent and prioritized than the delayed Siri features."

"Users not only expect these new features but also hope for a more comprehensive upgrade of Siri. We will roll out these features and more as soon as they are ready."

Apple's New Technology Success Rate Only 66% to 80%

Walker stated that he, along with his superior John Giannandrea (head of Apple's AI department), Craig Federighi (software chief), and other executives, bear a high level of personal responsibility for this project.

As of Friday, sources revealed to the media that Apple currently has no plans to immediately fire any executives, but this decision could change at any time. Regardless, the company is prepared to make management adjustments, including moving more senior executives to Giannandrea's team to drive improvements in the Siri project. Additionally, Apple has assigned long-time executive Kim Vorrath (known for her project turnaround skills) to the team.

Walker stated that the reason for the delayed release is quality issues, as the company found that the success rate of the new technology is only 66% to 80%, meaning that errors occur approximately once every three interactions. "We can continue to improve and raise this success rate further, allowing users to truly trust it," he said.

Recently, Federighi expressed concerns about the performance of Siri features to other senior management, ultimately prompting the company to decide to delay the release. According to media reports, the technical issues with Apple Intelligence were apparent from the beginning, and the company had already postponed the first batch of AI features last year, providing a vague timeline at the launch event.

However, Walker defended the Siri team during the meeting, stating that they should feel proud. He said the employees are fully committed, "I see many people working tirelessly to push this project forward and achieving incredible progress." During the meeting, Walker showcased some examples of technologies that have already been implemented, such as finding driver's license numbers upon user request, locating specific children's photos, and precisely controlling applications, such as embedding email content and adding recipients.

But Apple still hopes to maintain high standards and ensure that the features are polished and perfected. Walker emphasized that the company aims to integrate these features into iOS 19 as soon as possible to prevent further issues.

He optimistically concluded the meeting: "We will create the world's best virtual assistant."