Amazingly, Apple may emerge unscathed from its AI mess

Apple is poised to overcome significant setbacks with its AI initiatives, particularly concerning Siri, following its recent WWDC developer conference keynote. At WWDC 2024, Apple showcased advanced Siri capabilities, including understanding complex, natural language commands like "Add this photo to the email I drafted to Madiha and Josh" and "Search Fitness+ for new yoga classes." However, these features were notably absent from the subsequent iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS updates in the fall of 2024, a situation Apple acknowledged in March 2025 as unexpectedly challenging, projecting a rollout by the end of 2026. This lengthy delay followed a pattern of unfulfilled potential for Siri, which has been a subject of disappointment for 15 years. The company has undergone significant leadership changes in its AI division, with artificial intelligence chief John Giannandrea retiring in December 2025, replaced by Amar Subramanya, a former Google and Microsoft executive, as VP of AI. Mike Rockwell, instrumental in the development of Apple Vision Pro, was subsequently placed in charge of Siri. Furthermore, Apple announced in January 2026 a partnership integrating Google's Gemini AI model and cloud technology into its ecosystem.