Early next year, Apple is poised to unveil its new AI-infused Siri as part of the upcoming iOS 26.4 update, following more than a year of delays. Despite the extended timeline for development, reports indicate that some Apple engineers testing the software have expressed concerns regarding its performance in its current state. With approximately six months remaining until the public release, there is still potential for significant improvements, and many hope for a successful launch.
In the latest edition of Bloomberg’s Power On newsletter, tech journalist Mark Gurman highlighted the growing unease among Apple employees about the new Siri features in iOS 26.4. He pointed out that if the revamped Siri does not meet expectations upon its spring release, it could lead to a wave of departures among senior members of the company’s AI team. As testing continues, the feedback on Siri's performance remains less than encouraging based on the initial internal version.
It’s well-known that Apple has faced challenges in the competitive AI landscape. Following significant external pressure, the company made a notable shift toward AI capabilities during the WWDC24 event, where it introduced Apple Intelligence—a collection of AI-driven features designed to operate locally on users’ devices. While several smaller features, such as Clean Up in Photos, Genmoji, and ChatGPT integration with Siri, were successfully launched during the iOS 18 release cycle, the much-anticipated Siri upgrade was conspicuously absent.
Apple had initially promised three significant upgrades for Siri, including personal context awareness, on-screen awareness, and enhanced capabilities to interact with applications. The vision was for Siri to evolve into a comprehensive digital assistant that could understand user preferences and act autonomously. However, the reality fell short of these expectations as the new Siri did not materialize in the expected time frame. Hopes for its arrival in iOS 18.4 or iOS 18.5 were dashed when it failed to appear in beta versions, leading Apple to announce a substantial delay of nearly a year, citing quality concerns.
According to sources, Apple is currently operating two distinct teams focused on developing the new Siri, with one utilizing on-device models and the other exploring options powered by Google Gemini on a Private Cloud Compute platform. This initiative was initially described as a ‘bake-off’ between the two approaches. While the exact model behind the early version of Siri in iOS 26.4 remains unclear, speculation suggests it may be based on Apple’s on-device technology.
Attracting top-tier AI talent has proven to be a significant hurdle for Apple. The company likely aims to avoid publicly acknowledging any shortcomings in developing its AI-powered Siri, especially if reliance on external technologies like Google Gemini becomes necessary. Given the preliminary feedback, there is a growing concern that this could ultimately be the case.
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