Apple faces backlash over alleged false claims on AI, lawsuit filed: Report

Reportedly, the lawsuit stated that Apple misled consumers by marketing AI features that were either unavailable or significantly limited at launch

Apple has reportedly been accused of false advertising over delays in rolling out Apple Intelligence and advanced Siri capabilities. According to a TechCrunch report, a lawsuit filed in a U.S. District Court in San Jose seeks class-action status and damages for consumers who purchased iPhones based on Apple’s AI claims.

 

The complaint reportedly stated that Apple's marketing led consumers to believe certain AI features would be available at launch. However, the promised capabilities were either missing or significantly limited.

 

"Contrary to Defendant’s claims of advanced AI capabilities, the Products offered a significantly limited or entirely absent version of Apple Intelligence, misleading consumers about its actual utility and performance. Worse yet, Defendant promoted its Products based on these overstated AI capabilities, leading consumers to believe they were purchasing a device with features that did not exist or were materially misrepresented," stated the lawsuit.

 

Apple Intelligence was unavailable at the launch of the iPhone 16 series, with the company beginning its rollout via the iOS 18.1 update in October. The AI-powered features still remain limited to select regions, with plans to expand availability, including in India, starting next month.

 

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Apple is also facing delays in developing an AI-powered version of its digital assistant, Siri. It said that the advanced Siri capabilities including personalised responses and in-app control features, which were expected to arrive with the iOS 18.4 update in April, will now be released "in the coming year." The company has reportedly been unsuccessful in eliminating bugs that it has encountered during internal testing of Siri's new features. The delays have reportedly led Apple to consider rebuilding Siri’s AI from scratch, potentially pushing the release to 2026. 

 

Apple has reportedly made leadership changes in response to the delays, assigning Mike Rockwell, vice president of the Vision Products Group, to oversee Siri development. According to Bloomberg, CEO Tim Cook has lost confidence in AI head John Giannandrea’s ability to execute on product development. Additionally, Paul Meade, who has led hardware engineering for the Vision Pro under Rockwell, is expected to take over the Vision Products Group.