Siri

Apple is significantly enhancing its AI capabilities, with a major Siri upgrade slated for the coming year to compete with generative AI rivals. Despite delays and mixed reception to initial AI features, Apple is prioritizing custom chips and user privacy, diverging from competitors’ cloud-centric approaches. The success of this revamped Siri is seen as critical for Apple to maintain its market leadership and address future hardware shifts driven by AI.

Apple is reportedly integrating a customized version of Google’s Gemini into Siri, a move that could cost Apple $1 billion annually. This upgrade aims to enhance Siri’s summarization and planning capabilities by leveraging Gemini’s 1.2 trillion parameter model. A hybrid approach is planned, with Apple’s Private Cloud Compute ensuring data privacy. The collaboration reflects Apple’s strategy to bridge AI capability gaps and stay competitive, while intending to develop its own technology long-term. The updated Siri, codenamed “Linwood,” is expected in iOS 26.4.