Apple Siri Chief Calls AI Delays “Embarrassing” in Candid Internal Meeting

Apple’s ambitious plans for Siri have encountered significant hurdles, according to candid comments from a top executive. Robby Walker, who leads Siri development and reports directly to AI chief John Giannandrea, characterized recent AI feature delays as “embarrassing” and “ugly” during an internal meeting with his team.

The delayed Siri features, originally showcased with considerable fanfare, are facing substantial quality issues. According to Walker, these capabilities fail to work properly nearly a third of the time, creating an untenable situation for a company that prides itself on polished user experiences.

Walker didn’t shy away from acknowledging missteps in the company’s approach. He specifically noted that the decision to promote Apple Intelligence features before they were fully ready exacerbated the situation. Premature marketing created expectations that the company now struggles to meet.

The timeline for launching these promised Siri enhancements remains unclear. Walker indicated that other priorities and upcoming product launches have taken precedence, though he assured his team that the features would eventually come to market.

Despite the current challenges, Walker struck an optimistic tone about Siri’s future, vowing to transform it into the “world’s greatest” assistant. He praised his team’s efforts while noting that senior leadership, including Giannandrea and software engineering chief Craig Federighi, are taking “intense personal accountability” for the situation.

The meeting where these comments were made had been scheduled a week in advance, suggesting it was part of a coordinated response to address mounting concerns about Apple’s AI strategy.

Sources indicate that Apple doesn’t currently plan to make immediate executive changes in response to the AI crisis, though the situation remains fluid. The company has reportedly discussed restructuring by moving additional executives under Giannandrea’s supervision to help navigate these challenges.

This approach aligns with Apple’s historical reluctance to dismiss senior vice presidents. While some might draw parallels to Scott Forstall’s departure following the Apple Maps controversy, insiders note that situation involved numerous factors beyond the product issues themselves.

The current AI challenges at Apple span multiple divisions and leadership structures. Apple Intelligence has been jointly led by Federighi and Giannandrea, with marketing responsibilities falling under Greg Joswiak and Tor Myhren. This distributed responsibility model makes it difficult to identify a single point of accountability.

As one source noted, “You can’t just fire everyone. This isn’t The Apprentice.”

For Apple, which built its reputation on releasing products only when they meet exacting standards, these AI delays represent a rare public stumble. Apple now faces the challenge of regaining momentum in an increasingly competitive AI landscape where competitors are rapidly advancing their assistant technologies.

As Siri struggles to find its voice in this new era, Apple must determine whether its traditional approach to product development can keep pace with the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence technologies.