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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Apple could transform Siri into an AI-powered bot that’s baked into its operating systems.
- Unlike ChatGPT and Gemini, it won’t be an app-based conversational AI.
- Apple plans to announce it at the yearly WWDC in June.
Apple is planning to turn Siri into an AI chatbot like Google Gemini and ChatGPT. However, unlike its more popular rivals, Apple’s version will be built directly into its iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
This change is separate from the long-overdue revamped Siri with personalization features, which was scheduled to roll out with iOS 26 but got delayed to 2026. According to a Bloomberg report from Mark Gurman, the iPhone maker is going to replace the existing Siri interface with an AI chatbot, codenamed Campos. It is said to have capabilities that “significantly surpass” the AI personalization features.
The upcoming Siri AI bot will be embedded deeply across Apple operating systems and will allow you to search the web for information, summarize it, generate images, create content, and analyze uploaded files. It is also reported to draw on your personal data to complete tasks, locate specific files, songs, calendar events, and text messages.
Also: Can Google save Apple AI? Gemini to power a new, personalized Siri
OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, and other Chinese smartphones offer similar universal search functionality, while Google Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT can help you with the other stuff – but like everything AI, they aren’t always reliable.
As per the report, the upcoming Siri AI chatbot is designed to control device features and settings, as well as analyze open windows and on-screen content in order to take actions and suggest commands.
The current state of Apple Intelligence, including Siri capabilities, remain limited.
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
Unlike third-party chatbots running on Apple devices, this version of Siri AI will be integrated into the company’s core apps, such as Photos, Mail, Apple Music, Podcasts, TV, and Xcode. This is aimed at enabling a voice-first user interaction.
Gurman explains, you could “ask Siri to find a photo based on a description of its contents and edit it with specific preferences — like cropping and color changes… or write a message to a friend about upcoming calendar plans.” It’ll use a custom Google Gemini AI model as part of the recent multi-year partnership between Apple and Google.
Also: How I used ChatGPT’s $20 Plus plan to fix a nightmare bug – fast
However, the Cupertino-based company is facing one issue regarding how much its chatbot can remember about its users. Apple is said to sharply limit this capability in the interest of privacy. For context, ChatGPT and other rivals can retain extensive memory of past interactions and use that context in future conversations to fulfill requests.
Apple is reportedly set to announce a new Siri AI bot update during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, before launching it in September. Gurman says it’ll be the “primary new addition” to iOS 27, iPadOS, and macOS 27, with Apple focusing primarily on stability and bug fixes.
