Apple reportedly prepping powerful new AI version of Siri for 2026

Apple may be late to the generative AI party, but that doesn't mean it's standing still. The company is developing a new version of Siri that would work more like popular AI bots such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

The goal is to catch up with other AIs by equipping Siri with more advanced and conversational skills, Gurman said in a story published Thursday, citing "people with knowledge of the matter."

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Dubbed "LLM Siri" by Apple employees (LLM standing for large language model), the new Siri is already being tested internally on iPhones, iPads, and Macs as a standalone app. But if all goes well, the new assistant will eventually replace the Siri we all know and have a hard time loving.

Apple could announce the new AI as soon as 2025 as part of iOS 19 and macOS 16. The new OS editions should launch next September, as expected. However, LLM Siri won't debut until the spring of 2026, similar to the way the company is doling out Apple Intelligence in dribs and drabs. However, given the work involved and these early reports, that timeframe could change.

Like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, the new Siri would use advanced LLMs to foster more natural back-and-forth conversations. LLMs are trained on a huge amount of data to learn how to handle and process human language to sound human in their responses.

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The sources, who asked not to be identified because Apple has yet to announce the project, told Gurman that LLM Siri would also be able to quickly respond to more "sophisticated" requests.

The new Siri would leverage new Apple AI models to act more like a human being and less like a robotic and limited voice assistant. LLM Siri will also use an Apple framework called App Intents to work across third-party apps, Gurman added. Further, the new Siri would be able to use key features of Apple Intelligence, such as writing and summarizing text.

As further evidence of Apple's AI efforts, Gurman pointed to a job listing seeking an engineer in the area of Siri and information intelligence:

"We are seeking a high caliber Senior Machine Learning Engineer to join our dynamic team," the listing says. "The ideal candidate will play a pivotal role in the evaluation and enhancement of our Apple Intelligence products. They will work with large amounts of real-world data to analyze and propose changes to the Siri user experience."

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As generative AI has grown into a hot tech area, companies like Microsoft and Google have launched their own advanced and sophisticated chatbots. In the position of playing catch-up, the company has slowly been adding its Apple Intelligence features to its latest OS versions.

So far, Apple has added such AI-powered features as writing tools, phone recordings and transcriptions, and notification summaries. More features are in store with upcoming updates to the various operating systems. Apple is even adding access to ChatGPT with iOS/iPadOS 18.2 and MacOS Sequoia 15.2 and may add Gemini at some point. But those moves speak to the fact that Apple has no true AI of its own.

And then there's Siri. So far, Apple's voice assistant has gotten a visual makeover, the ability to answer questions about your device, and a Type to Siri feature. But for those of us who've used and been frustrated with Siri for years, the technology needs more than just some AI enhancements.

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Far too often, Apple's assistant fails to understand simple requests, misinterprets what you say, or just gives up instead of helping you. These are the weaknesses that Apple needs to address with any new version. Could an LLM Siri be the answer? We'll have to wait until 2026 to find out.