Last week, Apple made a significant announcement during a classic Friday news dump: the company is delaying the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities into its voice assistant, Siri. This revelation not only affected Apple’s stock price but also triggered concerns regarding team morale within the Siri division, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Internal Reactions to Siri’s AI Delay

During an all-hands meeting, Robby Walker, a senior director within the Siri division, candidly addressed the team’s concerns. He acknowledged feelings of anger and embarrassment among team members regarding the delay. “You might have co-workers or friends or family asking you what happened, and it doesn’t feel good,” he reportedly stated, echoing sentiments of discontent as highlighted by Bloomberg.

Marketing Missteps and User Expectations

Adding to the disappointment, Apple’s marketing team promoted expected features for an enhanced Siri last year, promising their debut by June of this year. These features were slated to be a key selling point for the iPhone 16, which otherwise lacks substantial upgrades. Unfortunately, these features are now on indefinite hold.

Currently, there’s no definitive timeline for these advancements. Walker indicated that while there’s hope to release the new intelligence features alongside iOS 19 this summer, the timeline remains uncertain. Reports from Bloomberg suggest that the Siri functionalities in development function correctly only 67% to 80% of the time—which, for those familiar with Siri, feels all too familiar.

User Perspective: Are AI Features Really Missed?

While the feature delay is disappointing, some solace may be found in a December 2024 survey by trade journal SellCell, revealing that 73% of iPhone owners feel Apple’s upcoming AI features “add little to no value.” This statistic might indicate that the anticipated enhancements aren’t as crucial as initially thought by end-users.

Industry Comparisons: Voice Assistants and AI

Interestingly, the integration of AI into voice assistants like Siri seems long overdue. Apple isn’t the only player facing challenges; it wasn’t until last month that Amazon announced AI-powered features for its Alexa voice assistant. Even with the hype surrounding AI, facilitating user adoption appears to be significantly more complex than anticipated.

FAQs: Apple Siri and AI Delays

Why is Apple delaying the Siri AI features?

Apple has delayed Siri’s AI features due to insufficient functionality, causing the team to reevaluate the timeline for release.

When is the expected release for Siri’s AI capabilities?

While Apple aims to align the launch with iOS 19 this summer, there is currently no definitive timeline for when the features will be available.

How do consumers feel about Siri’s current capabilities?

A survey found that 73% of iPhone users feel that the promised AI enhancements will provide little to no value, suggesting a lack of urgency among consumers for these features.