Apple Inc. is reportedly working to advance its Siri digital assistant into a more conversational bot in an effort to compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and other voice assistants. The new conversational Siri could be available in 2026.
The new Siri will use more sophisticated large language models to enable more seamless two-way conversations, Bloomberg reported citing sources. The updated Siri will also be able to process more complex queries more quickly. However, the specifics haven't been disclosed yet by Apple.
Although Apple has been testing the revamped Siri software as a stand-alone app on iPhones, iPads, and Macs, the technology will eventually take the place of the current Siri interface, the Bloomberg report said. Apple intends to announce the redesign as early as 2025 with the forthcoming iOS 19 and macOS 16 updates.
Apple aims to become a leader in artificial intelligence, and part of that effort is updating the more than a decade-old Siri. While Apple, last month, unveiled its much-anticipated Apple Intelligence, the platform is still being found wanting, in terms of features when compared with other AI platforms.
The changes to Siri as part of Apple Intelligence included a new glowing design, typing (along with voice) commands, and better language and context understanding. Siri is also expected to get some new features in the next few months, including onscreen awareness and taking actions on things on the device screen, better awareness of personal context, and seamless actions across apps.
In addition to leveraging Apple Intelligence to generate and summarise content, the updated Siri will reportedly have expanded capabilities to communicate with third-party apps via App Intents.
Apple aims to replace Siri’s underlying software with the new system in the spring of 2026, according to reports, although it could make these announcements as early as next year. In a recent interview, Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software at Apple, had hinted how an AI-enhanced Siri may combine advanced voice mode like OpenAI’s with Siri’s device capabilities.