Insiders reveal why Apple’s AI push has stalled

Apple has faced major setbacks in upgrading Siri, and according to journalist Wayne Ma of The Information, the root causes are ineffective leadership and Apple’s strict approach to user privacy.

Ma cites former Apple employees from the company’s AI/ML division, who say the development process was painfully slow — so much so that the team jokingly called it “AIMLess,” a nod to the lack of direction. Much of the criticism centers on Robert Walker, the executive in charge of Siri, who was reportedly seen as overly cautious and lacking ambition.

One particularly frustrating moment came during last year’s WWDC, when Apple showcased supposedly new AI features in Siri that the developers themselves only learned about on the day of the presentation. According to the report, the only visible change at the time was a colorful ribbon animation — with no real AI functionality behind it.

Historically, Apple has only showcased features that were fully developed and approved by marketing. So the fact that anything was shown for Siri in iOS 18.1 and 18.2 was surprising in itself.

That may now be changing. Apple’s Senior VP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, has taken charge of AI development through a newly formed “Intelligent Systems” group. While the AI/ML division is still officially under John Giannandrea, the report suggests a future power struggle could be brewing.

Federighi has also revised Apple’s development policy to allow the use of open-source models — a major shift from the company’s previous insistence on building everything in-house. The move could help speed up Apple’s integration of modern AI technologies and finally bring Siri closer to its competitors.