Apple on New AI Siri: Not 'Demoware,' Just Not Ready - 9to5Mac

Apple Addresses Concerns Regarding AI and Siri Development

Following Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 24), several interviews with Apple leadership sought to clarify the status of the AI-powered Siri showcased last year.

Denials of "Vaporware" Claims

Despite the absence of a launch, Apple executives firmly refuted suggestions that the demonstrated personalized, AI-driven Siri was merely a concept or “vaporware.”

Acknowledging the Challenges

When questioned by The Wall Street Journal regarding Apple’s capacity to deliver the technology, given its resources, the company avoided admitting any lag in the AI race.

A Long-Term Perspective on AI

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, emphasized that AI represents a nascent technology.

He characterized it as a “long-term transformational wave” poised to reshape both the industry and society over the coming decades.

Prioritizing Quality Over Speed

Federighi stated, “There’s no need to rush out with the wrong features and the wrong product just to be first.”

Transparency and Future Expectations

In interviews with Tom’s Guide and Techradar, Federighi explained that the presentation of the new Siri at WWDC 24 was intended to provide a comprehensive view of Apple’s thinking regarding Apple Intelligence.

The company aimed to illustrate its vision for the future of AI integration.

Evolution of the Siri Architecture

Apple initially developed two distinct AI architectures for Siri.

Version 1 was the one demonstrated during the WWDC 24 event.

However, as development progressed, the team determined that version 2 was necessary to fulfill customer expectations.

Federighi confirmed that this updated version is still slated for release in 2026.

Confirming Functional Technology

Executives also countered the notion that the technology showcased at WWDC 24 was non-functional.

Federighi asserted to The Wall Street Journal: “We were filming real working software with a real large language model with real semantic search.”

Addressing the "Demoware" Narrative

Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, added, “There’s this narrative out there that it’s demoware only.”

He clarified that the demonstration was intended to represent a product planned for release later in the year.

However, Apple ultimately decided against an immediate launch due to an “error rate that we felt was unacceptable.”

Beyond Chatbots: Integrated Intelligence

The executives elaborated on Apple’s broader AI strategy, which diverges from the pursuit of a chatbot competitor to ChatGPT.

Infusing AI Across Operating Systems

Instead, Apple intends to integrate intelligence seamlessly throughout its operating systems.

Federighi explained to Tom’s Guide, “This wasn’t about us building a chatbot… we weren’t defining what Apple Intelligence was to be our chatbot.”

He emphasized that the goal is not to create a separate chat experience, but to embed intelligence directly into existing platforms.

Empowering Developers with AI Tools

Apple’s primary objective, according to the executives, is to equip developers with the tools necessary to leverage Apple’s foundation models.

This will enable them to create more intelligent and innovative applications.