Apple executives say new AI-powered Siri wasn’t ‘demoware,’ it just wasn’t ready to ship

In a series of interviews after the recent Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 25), Apple executives firmly rejected claims that last year’s previews of an advanced, AI-driven Siri were mere vaporware. When questioned by The Wall Street Journal about the company’s struggles to launch this technology, despite its resources and talent, Apple did not concede to being behind in the AI landscape. Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, emphasized that AI is a nascent technology and part of a larger, long-term transformational wave that will significantly affect both the industry and society. "There’s no need to rush out with the wrong features and the wrong product just to be first,” he remarked. In discussions with Tom’s Guide and Techradar, Federighi elaborated on why Apple showcased the new Siri at WWDC 24. He stated that Apple aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of its vision for AI and its implications. The company had developed two versions of the AI architecture for Siri. The initial version was presented during the event, but as development advanced, it became clear that a transition to the second version was necessary to meet customer expectations. This upgraded version is projected to be released in 2026, according to Federighi. The executives also countered the notion that the technology displayed at WWDC 24 was not functional. Federighi stated, "We were filming real working software with a real large language model with real semantic search.” Moreover, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, clarified the misconception that the showcased technology was simply demoware. He explained that the intention was to release the software later that year, but Apple ultimately recognized that its error rate was too high, leading to a decision to delay. Looking to the future, the executives outlined Apple’s broader AI strategy. They clarified that their focus isn’t on creating a chatbot to compete with ChatGPT but rather on integrating AI capabilities across their operating systems. "This wasn’t about us building a chatbot… that was never our goal,” said Federighi. Instead, the aim is to embed intelligence within all Apple platforms in a way that seamlessly aligns with user needs, rather than diverting them into a separate chat experience. Ultimately, Apple’s objective is to provide developers with the tools necessary to leverage its foundational models to create more intelligent applications.