Apple postpones Siri upgrade indefinitely amid growing AI concerns

Apple Inc.’s struggles in its AI division escalated on Friday, as the company postponed anticipated updates to the Siri digital assistant indefinitely.

Apple announced that functionalities presented last June, such as Siri’s capability to access a user’s personal data for responding to questions and offering better control over applications, will be available sometime in “the upcoming year.” The iPhone manufacturer had not announced a public timeline for the features, but they were originally intended for the iOS 18.4 software update in April.

News disclosed on Feb. 14 that Apple was having difficulty completing the development of the features, and the updates would be delayed until at least May — when iOS 18.5 is expected to launch. Since that time, Apple engineers have been quickly working to resolve a series of bugs in the project. Those involved in the efforts report the work has not been successful, and they now think the features will not be launched until at least next year.

Before the recent postponement, software head Craig Federighi along with other executives expressed significant worries internally that the features did not function correctly — or as promoted — during their personal evaluations, according to sources who wished to remain unnamed while discussing internal affairs. A spokesperson for Apple opted not to provide any comments.

Certain members of Apple’s AI team think that the development of these features might be completely abandoned, and that Apple might need to reconstruct the functions from the ground up. The features would consequently be postponed until a next-gen Siri that Apple plans to start releasing in 2026.

The company initially showcased the features at its Worldwide Developers Conference last June, as part of the debut of the Apple Intelligence AI platform. At this year’s annual event, Apple does not intend to reveal any major advancements in AI.