Apple previews new Siri AI, aims to quiet doubts about its pace

Apple used its latest Siri preview to argue that caution, not speed, may be the more durable strategy in the AI race. After months of criticism over delayed features and a costly consumer settlement, the company pressed its case that privacy, on-device intelligence and product readiness matter more than flashy demos.

Apple first framed Apple Intelligence at WWDC on June 10, 2024, pitching it as a personal intelligence system built around on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute. The initial rollout was narrow: iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, plus iPads and Macs with M1 chips or later, all limited to U.S. English at launch. Apple also said Siri could tap into OpenAI’s ChatGPT for certain requests, a sign that even Cupertino was willing to lean on outside help while trying to keep control of the user experience.

The first Apple Intelligence features arrived on October 28, 2024 with iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1, but the more personalized Siri features Apple had previewed did not follow. In March 2025, Apple said those upgrades would be delayed until 2026. That admission fed investor disappointment and Wall Street skepticism, especially as rivals pushed more aggressive cloud-based AI products and headline-grabbing chatbots into the market faster.

Apple responded by reorganizing the project, moving Vision Pro chief Mike Rockwell into charge of Siri in March 2025. The company kept leaning on the same message: Apple Intelligence was meant to be private, integrated and genuinely useful, not just a showcase for raw model size. At WWDC 2025, though, the company’s AI announcements were widely seen as incremental, and Apple shares fell after the presentation.

By June 2026, Apple was again using WWDC to preview the next generation of Apple Intelligence and a new Siri AI, while also expanding the system with features such as Live Translation and visual intelligence updates. The stakes had grown beyond product pacing. In May 2026, Apple agreed to a $250 million settlement in a consumer class-action case over delayed Siri AI features and marketing claims tied to eligible device purchases between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025.

For Apple, the question is no longer whether it joined the AI race. It is whether a slower, more controlled rollout can look wiser than rivals that moved fast, promised more and left users sorting out the gaps later.