Apple’s employees are unhappy with the overpromised AI Siri.

Apple has always been at the forefront of technological innovation, promising cutting-edge advancements to its loyal user base. However, its recent AI developments—especially concerning Siri—have been falling short of expectations. Internal reports indicate that Apple’s employees are unhappy with the company’s overpromises and missed deadlines regarding Siri’s AI upgrades.

This news comes at a time when AI assistants from competitors like Google, Amazon, and OpenAI are rapidly evolving, leaving Apple struggling to catch up.

The Hype Around Siri AI Upgrade

During Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2024, the company made big claims about the future of Siri. Apple promised that Siri would become more intuitive, conversational, and capable of handling complex tasks using advanced AI models.

The announcement excited both Apple users and developers. The AI-powered Siri was supposed to launch with iOS 19, bringing enhanced contextual awareness, better speech recognition, and more personalized responses. However, several months later, those features remain nowhere to be seen, and Apple employees are growing frustrated.

Internal Frustrations Over Delays

According to reports from Bloomberg, Robby Walker, Apple’s senior director overseeing Siri’s development, recently addressed the delay in an internal meeting. Walker called the situation “ugly” and “embarrassing,” acknowledging that employees feel disappointed, frustrated, and even burned out.

Several engineers and developers inside Apple have also expressed concerns about how the company has handled the situation. Many feel that Apple’s marketing team announced features that weren’t fully ready, leading to unnecessary pressure on developers and, ultimately, disappointment for customers.

Why is Siri’s AI Taking So Long?

There are multiple reasons why Apple has failed to deliver its AI-powered Siri upgrade on time. Some of the biggest challenges include:

1. Technical Limitations

Apple’s AI team has struggled to integrate large language models (LLMs) into Siri in a way that ensures fast response times and accuracy. Unlike Google and OpenAI, which have built AI models optimized for cloud computing, Apple insists on keeping most of its AI processing on-device for privacy reasons. While this approach enhances user security, it has slowed down Siri’s AI development.

2. Internal Conflicts Between Teams

Another major issue is the disconnect between Apple’s marketing and engineering teams. Employees claim that Apple’s marketing department made promises about Siri’s capabilities before developers were confident they could deliver those features. This misalignment has resulted in delays, with engineers scrambling to build features that were prematurely announced.

3. Apple’s Slow and Cautious Approach to AI

Apple has always been known for its perfectionist approach to product development. The company rarely rushes to adopt new technologies until they are fully polished. However, in the fast-moving world of AI, this cautious approach has put Apple behind its competitors.

Google, for example, has already integrated its AI-powered Google Assistant into smartphones, offering users advanced conversational abilities. OpenAI’s ChatGPT has become a widely used AI assistant, while Amazon has launched a new Alexa update powered by generative AI. Meanwhile, Apple is still struggling to deliver its promised Siri enhancements.

Impact on Apple’s Reputation and Business

The delays in Siri’s AI improvements are not just causing frustration among Apple employees; they are also affecting the company’s public image and stock performance.

1. Competitive Disadvantage

Apple has always been a leader in innovation, but in the AI race, it appears to be falling behind. Customers expect AI assistants to be smarter and more useful than ever, but Siri’s outdated functionality is becoming a major drawback.

If Apple fails to deliver on its AI promises soon, it risks losing customers to rivals like Google and Amazon, which are aggressively pushing AI-driven products.

2. Declining Investor Confidence

The delays have also affected Apple’s stock market performance. Some investors are concerned that Apple’s struggles with AI could impact its long-term growth. Analysts at Wedbush Securities have lowered their expectations for iPhone sales in 2025, partly due to Apple’s slow progress in AI development.

While Apple’s stock remains strong overall, investors are closely watching how the company handles its AI strategy moving forward.

3. Employee Morale and Burnout

The ongoing struggles with Siri’s AI have had a negative impact on Apple’s internal work environment. Employees working on the Siri project have reported feeling overworked and frustrated. Many feel that Apple’s leadership has placed unrealistic expectations on them without providing enough resources to achieve their goals.

If this frustration continues, Apple may risk losing talented engineers to competitors, further slowing its AI progress.

What’s Next for Siri and Apple’s AI Strategy?

Despite the setbacks, Apple is not giving up on AI. The company is reportedly planning to announce some AI-powered features for Siri, iPhones, iPads, and Macs at its next WWDC event in June 2025. However, major AI overhauls for Siri have been pushed back to 2026.

Key Upcoming AI Features in Apple’s Pipeline:

• AI-powered Siri updates: While the full AI upgrade may not arrive until 2026, Apple is expected to release smaller updates to improve Siri’s conversational abilities later this year.
• On-device AI processing improvements: Apple is investing heavily in making its AI models run faster and more efficiently on iPhones and Macs.
• New AI-powered apps: Apple is reportedly working on AI-powered features for apps like Apple Music, Messages, and Notes, similar to Google’s AI features in Android 14.

Conclusion

Apple’s promise of a smarter AI-powered Siri has not been fulfilled as expected, leading to internal frustrations and external criticism. The delays highlight the company’s challenges in keeping up with competitors in the AI space.

While Apple remains committed to AI, its slow approach has put it at a disadvantage. Whether the company can turn things around in 2025 and 2026 remains to be seen.

For now, Apple’s employees and users alike are left waiting for the day when Siri can finally deliver on the promises made nearly a year ago.