Apple is widely expected to unveil a significant upgrade to Siri when it opens its annual developers’ conference at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Monday, as the technology giant seeks to strengthen its position in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector.
The expected enhancements come two years after Apple pledged to make Siri more intelligent and capable, a promise many observers believe has yet to be fully realised. Since the assistant’s launch in 2011, Siri has become available across Apple’s vast ecosystem of approximately 2.5 billion devices. However, increasing numbers of users have turned to AI platforms developed by OpenAI and Anthropic for more advanced conversational experiences.
Industry analysts argue that Apple’s greatest AI advantage lies in the wealth of personal information stored on users’ devices, including emails, messages, calendars and other app-based data. If utilised effectively, this information could enable Siri to provide more relevant responses and perform tasks with greater accuracy and efficiency.
However, Apple faces the challenge of balancing functionality with its longstanding commitment to privacy and security. Much of the data stored on iPhones is protected by strict operating system controls, preventing applications from freely accessing information held by other apps without explicit user consent.
Analysts believe Apple’s focus will therefore be on creating secure ways for both Siri and third-party developers to make better use of this data.
Patrick Moorhead, founder of technology consultancy Moor Insights & Strategy, said Apple must not only improve Siri’s performance but also provide developers with the tools needed to build stronger AI-powered applications.
Despite concerns that Apple has lagged behind some competitors in artificial intelligence, investors have remained confident. The company’s shares have risen by around 50 per cent over the past year. While this trails the gains recorded by Google parent company Alphabet, whose shares have benefited from the success of its Gemini AI model, it compares favourably with , whose stock has declined amid perceptions that it is struggling to keep pace with rivals such as .
Andrew Cornwall, a senior analyst at Forrester, expects Apple to introduce a dedicated chat mode for Siri, alongside a new “personal context” feature that would allow users to grant the assistant access to relevant personal data. He also anticipates that developers will be able to integrate their applications with Siri through Apple’s extension framework while choosing between AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google Gemini.
Apple may also reveal new ways for developers to harness the AI processing power of its custom-designed chips, further strengthening its ecosystem.
Analysts broadly agree that Apple is likely to present artificial intelligence as a collection of practical features and user experiences rather than as a technology in its own right. Surveys indicate that many consumers, particularly in the United States, remain cautious about AI, and Apple has traditionally focused on delivering consumer-friendly products rather than promoting emerging technologies for their own sake.
Ben Bajarin, chief executive of Creative Strategies, does not expect Apple to place significant emphasis on experimental AI systems such as OpenClaw, which can coordinate multiple AI agents to perform complex tasks on behalf of users. He noted that such technologies still present security and control concerns, making them unsuitable for widespread consumer adoption at this stage.
According to Bajarin, the technology remains in its infancy and may not yet be ready for mainstream business use, let alone the wider consumer market.
