Tim Cook Faces Questions Over Apple’s Siri AI Delay, Company Calls It Ugly And Embarrassing

Apple critics are going after the company’s failed AI strategy which includes the delayed Siri AI release now expected in 2026. The fanboys over the years have defended its tactics and approach but the AI race is now feeling beyond Apple’s grasp which has become evident to everyone with the latest details. The company’s iPhone 16 launch was based on the promise of the AI future which was supposed to roll out in a few months from its release.

But we are now into March 2025 and Siri AI is still nowhere close to making its official public debut. All these changes have made the critics believe that Apple’s demo of the AI Siri last year was just a marketing visual and the actual features were not ready to be shipped.

And now, one of the company’s executives has been quoted using words like ugly and embarrassed over their delay in bringing the Siri AI avatar. These issues also mean people are now questioning the role of CEO Tim Cook and the main in charge of Apple’s AI push in the last few years. Some have even talked about the senior Apple executives losing their jobs but that is hard to see happen.

Ugly And Embarrassing

Robby Walker, senior director for Siri, Apple, quoted by Bloomberg, has revealed the extent of the issues facing the company and its push for AI to compete with OpenAI and Google. Walker was part of an internal team meeting where the company bared all the details and issues of its AI project. The report says, Walker admitted that Siri AI was one of the first features that Apple showcased before having the actual tool ready.

One of the big reasons for Apple’s apprehension to launch Siri AI half-baked, according to Walker, is that the feature only worked well two-thirds to 80 percent of the time, which is really low by any standards set in the industry.

The report from Bloomberg also mentions that Apple hopes to have the AI Siri ready to be shipped with iOS 19 version but most executives feel that a fully-functional and conversational Siri AI will only be available with iOS 20 version by the end of 2026.

To meet these targets, the company is going to make some changes in its AI management setup and promises to eventually, “ship the world’s greatest virtual assistant."