How Apple's delayed “smarter Siri” reveals the hollow hype that is AI

When Apple introduced iOS 18, it placed tremendous focus on the new AI features as the next big step for the iPhone. Then, the company was quick to disappoint by stating that these features would be coming to the iPhone 16 lineup in batches of future updates.

Among all the AI enhancements, the ones that promised to finally make Siri smarter were months away.

Well, here we are in March 2025, nine months after the Apple Intelligence reveal, and instead of enjoying that smarter Siri, many users feel betrayed by the company. Why? Well, Apple basically lied.

Those futuristic Apple Intelligence features and the new Siri? They are not coming. The delay is indefinite and it could stretch to 2026. An Apple representative came out with an official statement, which essentially read like an admission that all of the promises for said “smarter Siri” were untrue.

Apple's big promise: a smarter and more personal Siri

Apple's description of the new Siri almost made it seem like your personal butler—think Bruce Wane (you) and Alfred (Siri). It was supposed to know and act on user-specific information within apps.



A now-infamous advertisement starring actress Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us, anyone?), demonstrated how Siri could identify an acquaintance's name based on a previous meeting she had with them. However, Siri couldn't actually do this then, and still can't to this day.

Earlier this month, Apple quietly pulled the ad, acknowledging that the Siri it marketed was little more than a glorified illusion.

This is not the first time Apple has backed off on a promise. Does anyone remember AirPower? That wireless charging mat meant to juice up your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch all at once? Apple announced the product in September 2017 but canceled it in March 2019, admitting that AirPower could not meet its “high standards.”

At least with the Apple AirPower, people weren’t tricked into paying for it. The situation with Siri is different—it was touted as the main upgrade for the iPhone 16 series, and some bought those phones with that promise in mind.

An industry hooked on AI hype

I challenge you to name one consumer device that the manufacturer called a "game changer" because of AI, which then actually was one.

Others like Google and Samsung (mostly the former) might be doing better with their introduction of AI to their phones, but even they are guilty of overpromising.

This current tech scene reminds me a lot of when Apple first introduced Siri with the iPhone 4S back in 2011. I was a naive 17-year old teenager at the time, and I have a clear memory of watching that Siri ad on repeat and buying into the fantasy of having a virtual assistant—it was the future! Of course, Siri was not as smart as it was made out to be, and Apple was again overpromising and underdelivering.

So, I think the broader issue here is that manufacturers are relying too much on AI as the selling point. The technology is clearly not there, and, in my opinion, no one should be buying a new phone in 2025 because of its AI. Well, maybe Google can be considered the only exception, thanks to its creative use of AI with features like Add Me.

Still, none of the new AI features that have come out so far—unlike the promises from manufacturers—have the potential to change the way we use our phones. In some instances, these companies get dangerously close to false advertising, and Apple is the best example.

The truth is that the tech industry needs an AI reality check. Right now, “AI” is a lot like what “5G” was a few years ago—a big promise with only 10% of what is envisioned actually being practical.

It’s clear that artificial intelligence is not just a popular trend that will die out with time. It seems like the path forward, but how long will it take to feel like we are on it? It seems even the companies working on this technology are not certain yet. So, until they develop something that’s really a “game changer,” we should probably not pay much attention to their fancy ads and presentation talks.