Apple’s efforts to enhance its AI capabilities have encountered a significant obstacle, as revealed in a recent internal meeting. Robby Walker, a senior director overseeing Siri, disclosed to staff that the company’s planned AI improvements for the virtual assistant are falling short of expectations.
According to Walker, the new AI features for Siri only function correctly between 66% and 80% of the time. This means that the technology fails in one out of every three to four attempts, a performance level deemed insufficient for public release. The admission has shed light on Apple’s ongoing struggles in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
The delayed features were designed to make Siri a more effective personal assistant, including the ability to tap into users’ personal data for improved query responses and more precise app control. These enhancements were initially unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2024 and were heavily marketed as a key selling point for the iPhone 16 line.
However, the company has now postponed the release of these features indefinitely. Walker told his team that while Apple is targeting iOS 19 for these improvements, this “doesn’t mean that we’re shipping then.” The delay has raised concerns about Apple’s ability to compete with rivals like Google and Amazon, who have already integrated new AI models into their voice assistants.
The situation has been exacerbated by Apple’s premature marketing of the unfinished capabilities. Walker acknowledged that the company’s decision to promote the technology before it was ready had worsened the situation, calling it “ugly” and “embarrassing.”
Despite these setbacks, Walker emphasized Apple’s commitment to delivering an industry-leading virtual assistant. He praised the team’s efforts, describing their work as “incredibly impressive” and vowed that Apple will eventually “ship the world’s greatest virtual assistant.”
As Apple grapples with these AI challenges, the company is making management adjustments, including moving more senior executives under AI head John Giannandrea and enlisting veteran executive Kim Vorrath to help fix the company’s AI efforts.
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