Apple Inc. is encountering difficulties in delivering updates for its AI-powered voice assistant, Siri, raising concerns among investors regarding significant advancements in the artificial intelligence sector.

Recent disclosures from former employees indicate that the tech giant has faced setbacks in integrating advanced large language models into Siri, which could enable more complex responses to voice commands.

Apple is attempting to create its own large language model based on machine learning technologies that currently support Siri, a product already utilized by millions across its best-selling devices.

The company's goal is to develop a more conversational assistant.

Executives have noted that the integration process has resulted in coding errors, a challenge not faced by competitors like OpenAI, which created AI-driven voice assistants from the ground up.

Siri updates are a critical component of Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI features unveiled during last year’s annual developer conference, aimed at boosting device sales.

Furthermore, Apple’s efforts to launch AI features in China, developed in collaboration with Alibaba, are encountering regulatory hurdles in Beijing.

The repeated failures to launch promised features under Apple Intelligence have led to lowered expectations for this year’s developer conference.

According to analysts, investors have already anticipated what good news might emerge, with some suggesting they are waiting to see results on previous promises.

Apple's stock has suffered amid these AI-related challenges, with the company exhibiting the worst performance among the so-called 'Magnificent Seven' in 2025. Shares have dropped by approximately 18% since the beginning of the year, underperforming the largely stable Nasdaq index.

Factors contributing to investor anxiety include tariff policies initiated during the Trump administration, competitive threats in China, and legal pressures on Apple’s high-margin services.

Siri remains central to Apple’s struggles with AI. As a traditional voice assistant, it is seen as essential for unlocking the 'agent' capabilities on iPhones and other Apple devices.

Following the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, a former senior Apple employee who worked on AI technologies observed that the landscape of conversational interaction is evolving rapidly, noting that Siri has not kept pace with these changes.

Competing companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Purple Sky have launched voice assistants that are widely regarded as more advanced than Apple’s assistant.

Apple’s response at last year’s developer conference emphasized its own AI initiative, featuring an AI assistant capable of reading user screens, utilizing contextual information, and performing actions within applications.

The market has already seen the introduction of several AI-driven features, including writing assistance tools, image and emoji generation, and camera-based search.

Despite these advancements, Apple has yet to release the promised changes to Siri.

Recently, CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that the technology has not yet met the company's 'high quality standards' and is taking longer than anticipated to develop.

These delays prompted Apple to withdraw television advertisements featuring Bella Ramsey, star of the series 'The Last of Us,' marketing recent updates to Siri.

The company is also dealing with various lawsuits from users related to false advertising.

Analysts from Bank of America have indicated that current delays mean Apple may be three or more years away from launching a truly modern AI-powered assistant, taking longer than Google and other companies that have already integrated such technologies into their products.

In light of its struggles, Apple has initiated internal changes, including reassignment of John Giannandrea, the AI expert recruited from Google in 2018, who was previously in charge of Siri and is now overseeing the development of the Vision Pro headset.

A former executive at Apple stated that fragmented leadership has resulted in a lack of cohesive strategy for AI technology, exacerbated by executives' reluctance to embrace the technology and allocate sufficient budget for its development.

Another challenge for Apple lies in its emphasis on user privacy and security.

The company has prioritized running AI features through smaller models that keep user data on the device, which complicates matters further.

This approach contrasts with large language models, such as those powering ChatGPT, which are cloud-based and utilize powerful servers.

Apple has relied on OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT capabilities into Siri.

Meanwhile, OpenAI has indicated ambitions in hardware and equipment, with CEO Sam Altman announcing a $6.5 billion deal to acquire I/O, a company founded by Jony Ive, a former Apple designer, who will now develop competing products.

This announcement resulted in a 2% decline in Apple’s stock.