Why Siri, Apple Intelligence may take a back seat at WWDC 2025
Apple's long-awaited pivot to artificial intelligence has reportedly been anything but smooth. A new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman offers a candid behind-the-scenes look at what went wrong with Apple's AI strategy, and why we may not hear much about Siri or Apple Intelligence on iPhone at next month's WWDC 2025.
At the heart of Apple's AI delay is a lack of early belief in the technology's potential. According to Gurman, Craig Federighi, Apple's software chief, was 'reluctant' to invest heavily in AI, viewing it as a distraction that lacked a clear payoff. Other senior leaders reportedly echoed that scepticism, hesitant to back a technology that didn't conform to Apple's usual product-first approach.
Apple typically builds with a clear endgame in sight. But AI, especially generative AI, demands upfront investment and open-ended experimentation — a cultural mismatch for the company's traditionally secretive and tightly controlled development model.
Even John Giannandrea, Apple's head of AI, struggled to gain traction. Despite recognising the need for significantly more investment, his initiatives were frequently 'stymied,' delaying Apple's ability to compete with rivals like Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft.
The result? A fractured and sluggish rollout of what Apple now calls Apple Intelligence. Despite bold promises made at WWDC 2024, including major Siri upgrades, little has materialised — and most of those features remain months away from release.
Internally, Apple appears to acknowledge that Siri's poor reputation is now a liability. Gurman reports that the company plans to separate Siri from Apple Intelligence in its branding strategy, distancing its broader AI ambitions from the legacy voice assistant.
To that end, significant Siri improvements — including the long-rumoured 'LLM Siri' powered by a large language model — won't be a major focus at WWDC 2025. Nor will the already delayed upgrades announced last year.
Still, Apple isn't giving up. The company is reportedly planning several new AI features across its platforms, including:
-An AI-powered battery optimisation tool
-Project Mulberry, a virtual health coach
-Expanded AI integrations across core apps
-A new Siri alternative option in the EU, allowing users to choose third-party assistants
Apple also plans to stop announcing features long before they're ready to launch — a tacit admission that over-promising and under-delivering has become a pattern.
If Gurman's reporting holds, WWDC 2025 will be more about iOS 19 and system-wide refinements than a showcase for Apple's AI ambitions. It's a notable shift from the hype cycle of recent years — and a reminder that even tech's biggest players can misjudge the speed of innovation.
In a world racing ahead with AI, Apple's measured approach may eventually pay off — but for now, it's playing catch-up, not leading the charge.
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