As Apple faces mounting criticism for its AI strategy, the tech giant has been slapped with a class-action lawsuit over allegedly misleading consumers about its Apple Intelligence features. Filed in U.S. District Court, the lawsuit accuses the company of false advertising and unfair competition after heavily promoting AI capabilities that remain unavailable for iPhone 16 owners.
Talk about bad timing. The legal challenge, spearheaded by Clarkson Law Firm (the same folks who’ve gone after Google and OpenAI), claims Apple knew these features wouldn’t be ready but kept the marketing machine running anyway. Consumers opened their wallets expecting cutting-edge AI tools. Instead, they got promises and delays.
Apple knew the AI goodies weren’t ready, but kept the hype train rolling while customers paid for vapor features.
The heart of the complaint focuses on those flashy ads showing advanced Siri capabilities. Remember that Bella Ramsey commercial? Yeah, Apple quietly pulled it from YouTube after announcing the delays. The lawsuit claims millions of consumers purchased devices under false pretenses, expecting a fully-functional AI assistant that could understand complex requests. Spoiler alert: it can’t do that yet.
While some Apple Intelligence features did arrive with iOS 18.1 and 18.2, the most impressive ones won’t see daylight until 2026. Critics note that despite the legal challenge, the ad actually contained clear disclaimers indicating the features were coming soon. That’s a long wait for people who paid premium prices based on slick marketing. The company has since added disclaimers to its website, but plaintiffs argue the damage was already done.
Inside Apple, things aren’t looking rosy either. Reports suggest CEO Tim Cook isn’t happy with the AI development progress. Leadership changes have shaken up the AI division as the company scrambles to catch up with competitors like Google and Microsoft.
Apple hasn’t directly responded to the lawsuit yet but maintains that its phased rollout reflects a commitment to quality. Translation: “We’d rather delay than deliver something half-baked.” The plaintiffs aren’t buying it. They’re seeking unspecified damages for affected consumers who feel they’ve been sold an expensive promise that’s still buffering. Features like Image Playground and Genmoji were prominently advertised as key selling points for the iPhone 16 lineup.
