- cross-posted to:
- hackernews@lemmy.bestiver.se
- cross-posted to:
- hackernews@lemmy.bestiver.se
Apple Inc.’s top executive overseeing its Siri virtual assistant told staff that delays to key features have been ugly and embarrassing, and a decision to publicly promote the technology before it was ready made matters worse.
Robby Walker, who serves as a senior director at Apple, delivered the stark comments during an all-hands meeting for the Siri division, saying that the team was facing a bad period. Walker also said that it’s unclear when the enhancements will actually launch, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the gathering was private.
The frank discussion shows the extent of Apple’s crisis in the field of artificial intelligence, where it’s struggling to catch up with peers. Siri — less advanced than rival systems — has become a symbol of Apple’s AI challenges. And the company’s woes boiled over last week, when it acknowledged publicly that critical features would be delayed indefinitely.
During the all-hands gathering, Walker suggested that employees on his team may be feeling angry, disappointed, burned out and embarrassed after the features were postponed. The company had been racing to get the technology ready for this spring, but now the features aren’t expected until next year at the earliest, people familiar with the matter have said.
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I was a bit disappointed about the delay. At the moment I mainly use Siri for reminders, adding to my shopping list and setting timers but I was excited to see how much more usable it could be with a better context of the device.
That’s cool and all, but where is the ethical action to remedy for consumers who have bought based on false promises predicated on hope rather than reality. That a class action lawsuit would not overly damage the company, that the payout would be meagre on an individual basis, that consumers are apathetic and full of ‘just another example of how life is’ inaction, are why they can release some angsty words and still sleep at night surrounded by their money and market control.
