Siri’s Big Update Delayed as Apple Stumbles Over Multiple AI Issues

Last year, Apple announced its intention to release an updated version of its Siri voice assistant, improved with artificial intelligence technologies. Now it has become known that the company has encountered a number of problems during the development process that threaten the launch of the updated voice assistant planned for April, Bloomberg writes, citing informed sources.

Apple first announced the new AI-powered version of Siri at its developer conference last June. The company also unveiled some new features at the time, but their rollout is likely to be delayed. The AI ​​features, originally scheduled to launch in April, will instead arrive in May or later, according to the source.

The redesigned Siri is set to be the centerpiece of Apple’s Intelligence platform, which the company is using to nudge users toward new iPhones. Even without the Siri woes, Apple’s rollout of AI features has been rocky. New features have been rolled out in stages, and some, like generated news reports, have drawn criticism from consumers.

Apple introduced Siri back in 2011, and it’s especially important for the company that the updated voice assistant works well, as it’s now a symbol of Apple’s lag in the AI ​​space. The development of Siri is separate from the company’s efforts to launch Apple Intelligence features in China, where the iPhone maker is partnering with Alibaba and Baidu to create a system that will pass local regulators and be ready for the consumer market.

Image Source: Apple

Apple officials are refraining from commenting on the progress of the AI ​​development process for the updated Siri. When the AI ​​features for Siri were announced in the middle of last year, Apple talked about three main innovations. First of all, it was said that the algorithm will be able to use data about the user to better answer questions asked. In addition, Siri will receive more opportunities to interact with applications. The voice assistant will also be able to analyze data on the device’s screen, using this context to improve the quality of its work.

At the time, Apple hinted that the changes wouldn’t arrive until 2025. The updated Siri was supposed to be part of iOS 18.4, which will be released in stable form in April. Now, Apple may delay the rollout of the new features, in whole or in part, until iOS 18.5 is released in May.

Apple employees testing Siri have found that the AI ​​features are unstable. Although the stable version of iOS 18.4 will not be released until April, a beta version of the OS will be available to developers next week. It is also possible that the new features will become part of iOS 18.4, but will be disabled. With this approach, Apple will be able to activate them together with iOS 18.5.

The launch of a revamped Siri this year should be a major step toward a more conversational voice assistant like ChatGPT, but that work will likely not be completed until next year.