Apple plans to turn Siri into an AI-powered chatbot
What's the story
Apple is said to be working on a major overhaul of its virtual assistant, Siri. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company plans to transform the long-standing digital assistant into an advanced AI chatbot, much like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. The change is expected to debut as part of iOS 27 and macOS 27, marking a major pivot in Apple's AI strategy.
Enhanced interaction
New Siri: A conversational AI
The revamped Siri, internally codenamed "Campos," will replace the existing experience on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. While users will still invoke it the same way as before, the interaction model will be completely different. The new version is said to adopt a conversational, chatbot-style interface like ChatGPT. This would allow for more fluid interactions and ongoing context within a session, something that has been challenging for Siri in the past.
Expanded functionality
Capabilities and integration
The new Siri will be able to search the web, create content, generate images, summarize information, and analyze uploaded files. It will also leverage personal data more effectively, letting users easily locate specific files or messages and act on them. The assistant will be deeply integrated into Apple's core apps. This could mean tasks like finding a photo based on its contents or drafting an email based on upcoming calendar events could be done using natural language commands.
AI evolution
Apple's strategic shift in AI development
Apple's move to develop a full-fledged AI chatbot for Siri marks a major shift in its approach to artificial intelligence (AI). The company has been focused on incremental improvements to Siri and Apple Intelligence in iOS 26, but these updates will reportedly stick with the existing interface and lean on Google's Gemini models for enhanced intelligence. The more ambitious chatbot overhaul appears to be reserved for iOS 27.
Strategic partnership
Integration of Gemini AI model
The Siri chatbot is said to be powered by a custom AI model from Google, as part of a deal where Gemini will power several of Apple's upcoming AI features. The company is also internally testing a Siri chatbot app but there are no plans to bring that option to customers yet. Instead, Apple is focused on integrating the new chatbot across its core apps.