Apple's AI initiatives for Siri are facing significant challenges behind the scenes.

      Apple's ambitions for revamping its Siri voice assistant with AI have not progressed as smoothly as the company initially anticipated. Those working on the project are still addressing technological flaws and appear uncertain about a quick launch.

      The company's goal is to integrate Siri with its Apple Intelligence AI tool seamlessly, but this seems easier in theory than in practice. A recent Bloomberg report revealed that Apple previously aimed for a prompt release of this feature, but current plans suggest a significant delay. The report mentioned that the Siri team held an all-hands meeting where senior director Robby Walker described the situation as "ugly" and indicated that there is no assurance the new Siri features will be ready for iOS 19 this year, although he noted, "that doesn’t mean that we’re shipping then."

      Presently, Apple is targeting a June release for the feature to coincide with its mobile software launch. The Verge highlighted that Apple originally intended to introduce the AI-enhanced Siri last June to stay competitive within the market. A spokesperson confirmed to Daring Fireball that the feature has faced a second delay, originally expected to launch in April with iOS 18.4. Prior reports suggested that the project, internally referred to as "LLM Siri," could be postponed for multiple iOS generations, potentially until 2027.

      It seems that Apple may be prioritizing other initiatives over the Siri project at this time. The company has several upcoming hardware releases in addition to the previously mentioned iOS 19 launch and other software updates. Reports indicate that Apple plans to implement a comprehensive update across all its platforms for greater consistency and functionality. If true, the Siri project could face additional delays.

      “We have other commitments across Apple to other projects. We want to keep our commitments to those, and we understand those are now potentially more timeline-urgent than the features that have been deferred,” Walker stated, according to the Bloomberg report.

      Though there has been only one official announcement from Apple, there has reportedly been considerable discussion among senior executives behind the scenes. Walker informed the Siri team that software chief Craig Federighi and AI head John Giannandrea, among others, are taking "intense personal accountability" for the extended timeline of Siri's advanced features.

      In a prior Bloomberg report, it was suggested that Federighi expressed concerns about features malfunctioning during internal testing.

      However, Walker reassured his team that their progress on the project was commendable and that Siri’s AI functionalities would be rolled out as soon as they are ready. “Customers are not just anticipating these new features; they are looking for a more comprehensive Siri. These are not quite prepared for public release, even though our competitors might have launched them in a similar or worse state,” he stated.