Apple Confirms Long Delay For AI-Enhanced Siri Assistant

While Apple continues to enhance its ecosystem with cutting-edge AI functionalities, it faces significant challenges, especially when compared to Google’s Gemini. A notable underperformer in this area has been the Siri virtual assistant, which has yet to incorporate the new features Apple announced at last year’s developer conference.

Recently, the company confirmed that a revamped Siri, capable of accessing user data stored on devices and interacting with applications, has been postponed until next year. This next-generation version, referred to internally as “LLM Siri,” might not make its debut until 2024, with the possibility of further delays extending into 2027.

“We’ve also been working on a more personalized Siri that possesses greater awareness of your personal context and can perform actions across your apps. Delivering these features is taking longer than we anticipated, but we expect to roll them out over the next year,” an Apple spokesperson told Daring Fireball.

Initially, Apple had hoped to launch the updated Siri with the iOS 18.4 rollout in April. However, concerns about the implementation of the new features were raised by senior executives, including software engineering chief Craig Federighi, during internal evaluations, as reported by Bloomberg.

Some employees speculate that the entire upgrade plan may be scrapped, requiring Apple to start anew. As a temporary workaround, the company has aligned with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT functionalities on iPhones and Macs, which will work alongside Siri as part of Apple’s AI framework.

While ChatGPT offers advanced language processing and multimodal features, such as image creation and file analysis, Siri still lacks essential capabilities that could significantly improve user experience. For instance, it currently cannot analyze user data to provide contextualized responses, nor can it engage deeply with third-party applications.

In contrast, Google’s Gemini is now integrated into high-end Android devices and fully utilizes the data available across its Workspace tools, including Gmail, Docs, Maps, and YouTube. Additionally, it can translate voice commands into actionable tasks across various applications, even those developed by third parties like Spotify.

Apple seems to be lagging behind in this dynamic landscape, and recent delays raise questions about the company’s innovation trajectory. Nevertheless, it is making strides in other areas, recently partnering with Alibaba and Baidu to accelerate the development of its AI systems for the Chinese market.