Forget the old, nearly useless Siri — Apple reportedly plans to upgrade the iPhone’s voice assistant into an AI-powered chatbot with iOS 27. Users will supposedly be able to converse with the new Siri, not just give it orders.
If true, this will let Apple compete directly against Android and Windows computers with built-in AI chatbots.
Making Siri much smarter with AI (and a chatbot, too)
Siri was once cutting-edge, but that was more than a decade ago. It was originally built around rigid, rule-based systems optimized for short voice commands, not the large language models that now power conversational AI. That’s why Siri is extremely limited compared to the capabilities of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, etc.
But that will change when iOS 27 and macOS 27 launch in fall 2026, according to a report published Wednesday by Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
“Apple Inc. plans to revamp Siri later this year by turning the digital assistant into the company’s first artificial intelligence chatbot,” predicts the report. “Apple is overhauling Siri this fall in iOS 27 and macOS 27 and turning it into its first full-fledged chatbot, looking to fend off OpenAI’s ChatGPT and seriously compete in the generative AI space.”
A turnaround in Apple’s AI strategy
If the Bloomberg report, which comes from unnamed “people familiar with the plan,” proves accurate, it’ll be a major change in AI strategy for Apple. For years, Apple’s head of AI development saw little value in chatbots … until he became the former head of Apple’s AI development, with Mike Rockwell taking over the top spot. Apparently, the new boss brought a new plan.
And speaking of shifts in strategy, the AI behind smarter Siri won’t come from Apple’s own efforts but from Google. The iPhone maker was forced to license Gemini from its rival after the in-house AI development project fell short.
The new, chatty Siri won’t be a separate chatbot app that runs on the iPhone or Mac. Supposedly, iPhone users will trigger the AI-powered version of Siri the same way they currently do the old one: by pressing a side button or saying “Hey Siri.”
The old Siri can handle “Turn on the kitchen light.” The new Siri should be up to “Text the latest picture of my cat Mr. Whiskers to Karen.”
The new Siri: Coming this fall
Back in 2024, Apple laid out a plan for a new version of Siri upgraded with artificial intelligence, but there was no mention of a chatbot. After a long delay as Apple struggled to develop the technology, the promises will finally be fulfilled in iOS 26.4 this spring, according to Bloomberg. But that will be just a preliminary step toward the fully conversational Siri chatbot.
Transforming Siri into an AI chatbot will reportedly be a signature feature of iOS 27, macOS 27 and iPadOS 27 when they launch this fall. It could be the largest upgrade, as these new versions will supposedly focus on improving performance rather than adding new features.
But we won’t need to wait quite that long to see what’s coming. Apple should give the world a first look at all these new operating system versions at WWDC26 in June.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
